Anyone used landscape fabric?

[Ruralhideaway]

I'm working on my expansion including duck and goose house. They will have a small 24hr predator safe run area.

Here's the issue. The ground where this pen is going apparently collected much debris over the years. It's a very old property. I dug up some 3-5 foot long flag stones under there, buried nearly a foot deep. New patio! Or something anyway. Always fun digging here. Except I also dug up a small mountain of green glass bottle bits, beautiful old flat light amber glass, and sharp steel. Bones! All this under those flags.

I know how ducks are, always beaking down deep. It's going to keep coming up no matter how much I clean and sift. Anyone ever try landscape fabric under gravel? Do they tear through? Better to do pavers? Seems hard on the webbing. Cold to lay on also.

Please note that they will have big run access, this is their indoor outdoor private area. It'll be 10x11ish, with their house inside.

 

[happyhens1972]

I have landscaping fabric under the wood chip in my chicken pen. It is a bit of a nightmare with all the scratching the chickens do so I think I may have to lift it but ducks don't do the scratching thing and I can't imagine they will get their beaks through it, especially if you use a heavy duty fabric. I also used it under gravel in a quail coop of 40 birds.

The down side to it may be the hygiene issue. It will hamper the natural wash-through effect that you get when it rains so you may get an accumulation of poop that gets as far as the cloth and no further. I had this problem with the quail and ended up punching holes through it to overcome the issue. I don't know about that issue in the chicken pen yet as they have not been in there long enough for any real build up to occur.

How about a fine hardware cloth? That will prevent the 'beaking down' but allow for water and poop to pass through.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I have landscaping fabric under the wood chip in my chicken pen. It is a bit of a nightmare with all the scratching the chickens do so I think I may have to lift it but ducks don't do the scratching thing and I can't imagine they will get their beaks through it, especially if you use a heavy duty fabric. I also used it under gravel in a quail coop of 40 birds.

The down side to it may be the hygiene issue. It will hamper the natural wash-through effect that you get when it rains so you may get an accumulation of poop that gets as far as the cloth and no further. I had this problem with the quail and ended up punching holes through it to overcome the issue. I don't know about that issue in the chicken pen yet as they have not been in there long enough for any real build up to occur.

How about a fine hardware cloth? That will prevent the 'beaking down' but allow for water and poop to pass through.

That's a good idea. Seems I've seen 1/8th inch HC somewhere. If not maybe window screening. Never checked costs in quantity of that but I'll have a look.

 

[Miss Lydia]

OI use it under my watering areas with river rock over top. Keep the ducks from losing the rock down into the earth with their rooting.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

OI use it under my watering areas with river rock over top. Keep the ducks from losing the rock down into the earth with their rooting.

Landscape fabric you mean you use? Do you find it slows drainage too much?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Not really I haven't noticed it.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Thank you! Maybe it depends on the usage and drainage.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Landscape fabric you mean you use? Do you find it slows drainage too much?

It isn't the water drainage that's the issue. When I used it in garden beds it said it would keep nutrients from passing through to your plants, some how. So it might not let the poo go through?

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

I agree with Miss Lydia. You should always put landscape fabric under gravel or the gravel will just be pushed or washed deeper and deeper into the soil until it is all gone. I don't have any duck experience though but I don't think it would be a problem with webbed feet. As far as draining, with 40 odd years in the landscape industry I haven't know the fabric to impede the drainage.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Great info and opinions all. Considering how much glass is in that dirt I might need to attack this 2 ways.