The Short Answer for Pekin Ducks
A Pekin duck needs roughly 4 to 6 square feet of dry indoor floor space and 10 to 15 square feet of outdoor run, with the larger end of both ranges the safer plan for a flock that spends most of the day penned. Pekins are big, heavy ducks bred for a broad body and a waddling gait. They sleep on the floor, they do not fly onto perches, and they cannot manage steep ramps, so every square foot has to be usable at ground level rather than borrowed from vertical space.
Indoor Space: Low, Dry, and Easy to Walk Into
Build the night house around bedding, not perches. A thick layer of straw or shavings on a solid floor gives their wide feet and heavy legs a forgiving surface, and the house needs a wide, low doorway they can waddle through without squeezing or climbing. Ventilation should sit high, above where the birds rest, so fresh air moves without a draft blowing across damp bedding. Because Pekins splash and carry water everywhere, keep drinkers near the door or over a drained, gravelled patch rather than in the middle of the sleeping area. A house that stays dry needs far less frequent full clean-outs, and dry bedding is what protects their feet from sores caused by standing on wet, packed litter.
Outdoor Space: Room to Dabble and Graze
Outside, give each duck enough run to walk, dabble in the soil, preen, and move away from flock mates. Ten square feet per bird is a working minimum for a run used part of the day; fifteen or more is kinder for birds confined until evening. Grass disappears quickly under Pekins, so rotating between two runs, or moving a pen onto fresh ground, keeps them on forage instead of bare mud. Shade matters as much as footage: a heavy white duck overheats fast in full summer sun, so part of the run should sit under a tree, a tarp, or the shelter itself at midday.
Water Space Without Turning the Run to Mud
Pekins do not strictly need a pond to stay healthy, but they do need water deep enough to dunk the whole head, which keeps eyes and nostrils clear. A wide, shallow tub they can splash in is a bonus they will use constantly, though it should sit on gravel or a grid at the edge of the run, not in the centre, because a Pekin can turn the ground around open water into a muddy pit within days.
Signs the Space Is Too Tight
Crowded Pekins tell you plainly. Watch for bedding that stays wet despite regular topping up, feathers that look grubby because birds cannot find a clean spot to preen, squabbles at the drinker, and ducks that rush the gate the moment it opens. Bare, churned ground that never recovers between rotations is another clear signal. Adding space, splitting the flock between two pens, or enlarging the drained area around water usually settles all of these faster than any other change.
Setting Up Before the Ducks Arrive
Measure your house and run for the number of adult Pekins you intend to keep, not for the fluffy ducklings arriving in a box, because this breed grows startlingly fast and reaches near adult size within a couple of months. Fence the run against digging and climbing predators, bury or skirt the bottom edge, and cover it if local hawks are bold. Worked out on paper first, the layout is cheap to adjust; rebuilt around a grown flock, it never is. If your Pekins are ever rehomed, KinsLe Transferrable Profiles pass their pen layout, feeding routine, and flock history to the next keeper in one complete record.