Most commercially grown ducks are too heavy to fly far, and will stay near sources of food and water. [3] X Research source To be on the safe side, however, be sure to put a layer of fencing material over the top of the duck pen, so that they don’t fly away. Placing a layer of fencing material over the top of the pen will also keep birds of prey like hawks and eagles from entering the pen and taking away a duck. If you don’t already have an erected enclosure, you should be able to find all of the necessary components (at minimum: chicken wire and fence posts) at your local hardware or home-supply store. In areas where predators like raccoons, skunks, and coyotes are common, the pen must be sturdy enough to keep them out. Raccoons can tear through flimsy material, so you need to use a strong, heavy gauge wire. These animals can also dig, so the wire should be buried at least 6 inches (15. 24 centimeters) underground around the entire perimeter of the pen.

If the ducks will be sleeping in the shed, it should provide 0. 5 square meters (5 square feet) of space per duck. Since ducks defecate frequently, the housing shed needs to be well ventilated.

You should be able to purchase rice hulls or straw at a farm-supply store.

If you prefer not to purchase a lock for the door of the ducks’ shed, try pushing a heavy stone at the bottom of the door. If your area has a heavy predator population, the shed and its door should be strong and sturdy. In this case a good lock is imperative to lock the ducks in at night when predators are active.

You should be able to buy a good-quality poultry feed at your local pet store or farm-supply store. Do not give your ducks medicated food. This type of poultry food is engineered to be given to hens in a poultry farm to stop the spread of disease. Feeding medicated food to your ducks could harm their health. Read the labels on your feed carefully to make sure it’s suitable for ducks. Typically, non-medicated chicken feed is suitable for adult ducks.

If the ducks have immediate access to a pond or lake in their enclosure, they will be less reliant on you to provide them with drinking water.

Cleaning the shed is even more important in the winter, since ducks will be spending more time inside of the shed and less time outside. You may need to clean the shed multiple times a day. The more ducks you have, the more often you will need to clean the shed. By providing a roomy shed with plenty of bedding material, you will be able to keep your ducks reasonably clean and comfortable.

If you’re adopting the ducks as young ducklings, it will be challenging to identify the gender of the ducks. If you’re hoping for a male and female pairing, you may be disappointed.

You can also fill a bath with water for the ducks to swim in. Ducks will also groom themselves in available water in order to keep their feathers, bills, eyes, and other body parts clean. Consequently, the water set out needs to be deep enough for them to fully submerge themselves in. The pond or body of water should be at least 8 inches (20 cm) deep. While a small plastic “kiddie” pool will technically fulfill the ducks’ needs, they will be able to exercise more if given a larger pool or actual pond to swim in. If you don’t want them in your actual swimming pool, check out the wikiHow: How to Keep Ducks Out of a Pool.

On the other hand, if you don’t want ducks to get into your garden and eat greens and vegetables, you may need to erect a fence around the garden to keep inquisitive ducks out.

Make sure that any toys you provide are safe for the ducks to play with. Don’t give them any toys that have small parts that the ducks may swallow.

Regular swimming can help keep ducks healthy by allowing them to wash mites and other parasites out of their feathers. If your ducks do not have access to adequate water, they will be more likely to contract mites or worms.

To help protect your ducks’ feet, cover the floor of their shed with a generous layer of straw or rice hulls. Avoid letting your ducks walk on bare concrete or cement.

Juvenile ducklings can easily damage their wings while learning to fly, since juveniles are unsteady and inexperienced flyers. [16] X Research source