Life Finds a Way

Life Finds a Way

The image above is of the tiny triangle tube chicken brooder tractor I use to keep chicks safe. It is smaller - too small I thought for a big Saxony duck - but there you have it. Life Finds a Way.

Our chicken Roo-Paul-Ster has developed a nasty habit of pecking duck eggs. The chickens and ducks share the coop at Mezzacello. I think this is a sign that I need to change that arrangement. Let me explain why.

Manures and Laying Habits

Ducks lay their eggs on the ground. There is no way I can protect their nests from the chickens without blocking off half of the interior chicken coop. I've tried to do this on three different occasions and all are just a nuisance.

Add to that that duck manure is vastly different from chicken manure. If I had these birds separated, it would make my life much easier. I recycle all sustainable materials here at Mezzacello.

Lastly, ducks are annoying. They never go in with the chickens and in fact will stay out all night if I let them. If I built them a separate coop I could (pardon the pun) kill two birds with one stone.

A private coop would make it easier to collect duck eggs unravaged by chickens. A private coop would allow me to more efficiently process duck manure. A private coop dould have it's own sensor and timer to lock up after I train the ducks to go there.

Building a Quonset Hut

It looks like I will be building a modified Quonset hut onto my livestock shed for the ducks. I'll keep you posted and provide plans when I am done. Cheers and thanks for listening!