Life Finds a Way
Life Finds a Way
![Life Finds a Way](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/661208c84d455812b1da4496/661483bd1b9e29589b2ae365/661485ff1b9e29589b2b2717/1712621055806/Mezzacello-Chicken-tractor-with-a-duck-egg-1024x1024.jpg?format=original)
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.
![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/661208c84d455812b1da4496/661483bd1b9e29589b2ae365/661484771b9e29589b2b0454/1712620663193/Mezzacello-video-camera-of-ducks-001.jpg?format=original)
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!