Ducks can get so messy. Is the basement a dirt floor or concrete, and how large is it? Is it inside your house or the remains of an old building? Are you planning on using any bedding?

Laying age depends on the breed, and often the season too.

Wether to clip wings or not depends on your set up & if you have enough land or just keeping them through winter inside? Our ducks stay home so we don't clip them. In my limited experience a clipped bird is a dead bird if any predators can get to them. Your set up sounds like that would be probable, though I can't say for sure having not seen it. We have weasels & they get through some pretty small cracks.

We've had pekins several years ago freerange through the winter no problem, never had a need to give them a heated environment. Your crested drake will probably need protection, if your winters get cold.

These are my first thoughts based on the info provided, a more detailed description of their living quarters might help. Hopefully others will give ideas for penned ducks.

"in an old basement I have topped with shower doors, to create a greenhouse"

Does this mean there's no longer a building above this basement? Is there good drainage in the floor so they won't flood -- ducks love water, but they need dry land, too!

I would be very cautious with the greenhouse idea. Keeping birds out of weather is much more important than heating them. Will they have the opportunity to go outside?

You should leave food available to them 24 hours a day, and they need drinking water they can dunk their heads in if they don't have a pool.

My Pekin hen started laying just before 6 months old.

Enjoy them!

Here is a link that might be useful: Busy Solitude Farm

My ducks were purchased after Easter and I am getting 2-3 eggs daily 7 females the others males. Pekins aren't going anywhere,I won't clip wings I have one wild duck that CAN fly and all the others ,cresteds, Indian runner cant go far. My ducks are kept inside only at night in a Chain link enclosure about supper time(they are fed and watered then) then upon dark they are locked up in a secure duck house with some tiny wire windows for ventilation. During the day they have free reign over 2 and a half acres to swim and forage. They are terribly messy and straw needs constant changing even though they are only there at night or they will get sick. I did keep them in the garage when young and
had to clean and change straw once or twice a day.
My ponds are never messy though as the fish clean up anything!Even the banks are rinsed clean with rain water.
Read every thing you can on ducks,they are very interesting and lively pets!
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They cannot wait to be released and get a bath every morning.Thankfully we live in Florida
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Who needs chickens????
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