pea gravel for ducks?

[Mrs.H]

Awesome! I've been wondering about this too. Was wanting to put a thick layer down in their pool area!

 

[Mrs.H]

When gravel is laid on top of dirt, and if the area gets wet, the gravel will eventually sink into the mud.  Unless, you put lots of it down and pretty thick.  I have pea gravel in my run about 4-5 inches thick, but it is over hardware cloth and landscaping cloth...which is great for cleaning the run...I just set the hoze nozzle on Sprinkle and hose down all the poop which washes away under the rock and out of the coop.  Some people suggest using sand, but when sand gets wet it takes a while to dry.  Pea gravel dries quickly since the water goes through it, so your birds stay dry.

Genius!

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Hello. I am currently adding some pea gravel to my ducks' yard. The ground has begun to erode from dumping the pool, so I thought I'd dig a deep-ish pit, fill it with a layer of sand (2-3 inches deep) and top it with a layer of gravel (5 inches deep). Ideally it will allow the water to drain all the way through without running all over the yard. Now that i have my hole dug and all the materials, I'm having concerns about the pea gravel that I got... it's not as round and smooth as i was expecting, it's actually a bit pokey. Worrying about bumble foot.

The landscaping place has small (3/4 inch) river rock, which is smoother than the pea gravel, but larger. I could add a top layer of river rock to the gravel pit. But I honestly don't know if that would be better or worse on their feet.

It's just a small area of their yard, but the dirt everywhere else is becoming quite compacted so I wouldn't want to add something that's going to be any harder on their feed. What would you do?

Goodness me. I'm not comfortable having my ducks walk on the "pea" gravel that I got. I'm going to look into topping it with a layer of 3/4"-1" sized mexican beach pebble. Anyone use these? It might be the dark variety, which would get hot in the summer, but holy moly not sure what else to do. Even the river rock around here is pretty rough. Will update with pictures soon if anyone is curious.

 

[Mrs.H]

Goodness me. I'm not comfortable having my ducks walk on the "pea" gravel that I got. I'm going to look into topping it with a layer of 3/4"-1" sized mexican beach pebble. Anyone use these? It might be the dark variety, which would get hot in the summer, but holy moly not sure what else to do. Even the river rock around here is pretty rough. Will update with pictures soon if anyone is curious.

I've never heard of Mexican beach pebble but did a google search and it looks just like the Pea Gravel and River rock they are talking about. It is really smooth and no sharp edges, you buy it in the landscaping section of home stores

 

[smonkeySK]

If you buy pea gravel in the UK it is usually 60% coarse - I had to buy 40-50mm rounded beach pebbles instead due to my concerns about bumblefoot.
Definitely worth paying the extra; even if only for peace of mind.
Everyone seems to like it too

 

[farmeristas]

Will pea gravel work for the ducks coop? and what with the cleaning?you hose it and its done?
i actuallyhave tones of pea gravel and sea stones so that will be ideal if i can make it coop flooring for chickens and ducks!!!

 

[smonkeySK]

Cleaning is easy - just hose it down regularly (some water pressure may be required for the persistent poop!).

As for coop flooring - I'm sure if you're in a warm climate with mild winters then it's certainly viable.
But if it gets cold I would think that they could lose valuable warmth through it.
Maybe you could put a rubber matting over the top of it to add insulation whilst retaining the good drainage and ease of cleaning.

 

[farmeristas]

Cleaning is easy - just hose it down regularly (some water pressure may be required for the persistent poop!).

As for coop flooring - I'm sure if you're in a warm climate with mild winters then it's certainly viable.
But if it gets cold I would think that they could lose valuable warmth through it.
Maybe you could put a rubber matting over the top of it to add insulation whilst retaining the good drainage and ease of cleaning.

.
Temps will not be a prob i leave near seaside and i can find many round shaped stones there as its not sandy beach. I was wondering the surface will be cleanby hosing it but i worry about the leftovers under pea gravel. Flooring its such a headache am thinking to go with dirt for start and see how its going!!!

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

Hi farmaristas, I would recommend using deep litter. You can look into here on the forum. In my opinion, it would be a better option because you don't have to hose anything down (all that water on a regular basis sounds like it could cause problems in an enclosed coop) and you don't have to worry about harming the ducks' feet. I use pine shavings on top of the dirt ground and it works very well. I just keep adding more pine shavings when things start smelling not so fresh or when the old shavings are looking a little worn down. I also fluff up the compacted shavings almost daily with a hoe (because I have to find where the eggs have been buried anyways). Ideally you only have to completely remove and replace the litter once or twice a year.

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

If you buy pea gravel in the UK it is usually 60% coarse - I had to buy 40-50mm rounded beach pebbles instead due to my concerns about bumblefoot.
Definitely worth paying the extra; even if only for peace of mind.
Everyone seems to like it too

That's great. Yeah the pea gravel I got is also quite coarse. But it seems to vary depending on which landscaping supply company is selling it.
What kind of duck is that one sitting on the chair? It's such a beautiful color.