Tips on keeping duck enclosures clean?

[Barredrockmama1]

We are building our duck house and enclosure soon and I was wondering if anyone has any tips for keeping the enclosure clean, right now we have our 3 ducks (1 drake, 2 females) in a fenced off part of the chicken run area, and boy is it ever muddy in there when we have their kiddie pool filled, also, there are a good many flies in the half of the run that is occupied by the ducks currently, I'm assuming the ducks don't eat them as much as the chickens? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My husband mentioned some kind of gravel to put down that can be hosed off and cleaned easily but my question is, what kind of gravel would be good to use for that with ducks? I know their feet are a bit more sensitive than chickens and I don't want them to get hurt.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[crowcrash]

More space is the best answer, but some of us don’t have that. My pens are near my house, so I sympathize. For ground cover, I use wood chips (garden mulch) because they are cheap to replace and keep the ground more firm in the rain. I’ve seen suggestions for pea gravel, but also people saying that the poop lodges in between the rocks

I regularly move the ducks’ swimming pool, toss straw over any forming cess pool, and use coop cleaners that come in crystal form. I recently used a more pricy coop cleaner with eucalyptus and it kills that sewage smell so well, I’m keeping it for when company is over.

 

[Barredrockmama1]

More space is the best answer, but some of us don’t have that. My pens are near my house, so I sympathize. For ground cover, I use wood chips (garden mulch) because they are cheap to replace and keep the ground more firm in the rain. I’ve seen suggestions for pea gravel, but also people saying that the poop lodges in between the rocks

I regularly move the ducks’ swimming pool, toss straw over any forming cess pool, and use coop cleaners that come in crystal form. I recently used a more pricy coop cleaner with eucalyptus and it kills that sewage smell so well, I’m keeping it for when company is over.

Thank you so much! I haven't thought of mulch that would be a cheaper alternative to gravel and probably more comfortable for them as well... I will have to get some coop cleaner as well they will be pretty close to our house too, likely beside the chicken coop/run..We will be building them their own house and run soo and the run will be approximately 5ftx10ft I'm hoping that will be more comfortable for them and cut back on the smell, for now they have to share half the run with the chickens and they aren't so happy, but we really had no choice we didn't have enough money to build them a space right away and I had no idea ducks grew so fast compared to chickens! Lol

 

[Luv Ducks]

I use sand or my pen but have to replace it periodically and it is heavy to move. I have 2 tons right now waiting for me to get into the pen. The water in the pen and rain seem to make it harden at times and parts of the pen still gets muddy so that is why I replace it overtime. I have been fortunate to never have had to deal with bumble foot on any of my ducks and I like sand for that reason. They say if we cannot walk on it barefooted without pain the ducks cannot either. With my feet being older sand is about the best I can do. lol

 

[Barredrockmama1]

I use sand or my pen but have to replace it periodically and it is heavy to move. I have 2 tons right now waiting for me to get into the pen. The water in the pen and rain seem to make it harden at times and parts of the pen still gets muddy so that is why I replace it overtime. I have been fortunate to never have had to deal with bumble foot on any of my ducks and I like sand for that reason. They say if we cannot walk on it barefooted without pain the ducks cannot either. With my feet being older sand is about the best I can do. lol

Sand sounds like it would be the most comfortable option, but also a lot of weight to be moving around. I recently was thinking what if we build a pallet like platform in the enclosure (with treated wood of course) with drainage underneath, then attach indoor/outdoor carpeting that can be hosed off.. I wonder if anyone has tried this method and if it works... The pond could be built in to this platform as well, with a drain to make it easy to clean out and refill... As for the bedding inside the duck house I will probably go the pine shavings route that seems to be working fine for my chickens.. I was going to use straw but heard it's not too good to use, So I may save that for the colder winter months. I think as long as it's changed frequently it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Lor]

We use sand around the pond area because we get it for free.
Maybe you could try those pine pellets meant for horse stalls to help with the mud until the enclosure is built.

 

[Barredrockmama1]

We use sand around the pond area because we get it for free.
Maybe you could try those pine pellets meant for horse stalls to help with the mud until the enclosure is built.

That's a great idea! Thank you.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Sand sounds like it would be the most comfortable option, but also a lot of weight to be moving around. I recently was thinking what if we build a pallet like platform in the enclosure (with treated wood of course) with drainage underneath, then attach indoor/outdoor carpeting that can be hosed off.. I wonder if anyone has tried this method and if it works... The pond could be built in to this platform as well, with a drain to make it easy to clean out and refill... As for the bedding inside the duck house I will probably go the pine shavings route that seems to be working fine for my chickens.. I was going to use straw but heard it's not too good to use, So I may save that for the colder winter months. I think as long as it's changed frequently it shouldn't be an issue.

I recently add a pallet platform to my duck pen. I put indoor outdoor carpet on it without all of the bristles that some of it has. This was a soft version of it and the ducks get on it and get their water. I hose it off daily so that puts more water in the pen but it does keep them out of the mud. I also have plastic pallets in the pen that they get on to get their water that are not covered with anything as they have raised places in them so it would be harder to do. Their other water containers are kept there. I am sure I have way too many water containers for my ducks but I figure better to have too many than not enough. Good luck with whatever you decide. Moving all of the sand I have moved over the years is not fun. I am no spring chick but will do it as long as I can. People think I am nuts moving that all by myself but they are my ducks and my hobby and sometimes you do what you have to do in order to have something you love.

 

[teresavigil]

I recently add a pallet platform to my duck pen. I put indoor outdoor carpet on it without all of the bristles that some of it has. This was a soft version of it and the ducks get on it and get their water. I hose it off daily so that puts more water in the pen but it does keep them out of the mud. I also have plastic pallets in the pen that they get on to get their water that are not covered with anything as they have raised places in them so it would be harder to do. Their other water containers are kept there. I am sure I have way too many water containers for my ducks but I figure better to have too many than not enough. Good luck with whatever you decide. Moving all of the sand I have moved over the years is not fun. I am no spring chick but will do it as long as I can. People think I am nuts moving that all by myself but they are my ducks and my hobby and sometimes you do what you have to do in order to have something you love.

Any chance you can post a picture of your coop? We are struggling

 

[Luv Ducks]

Any chance you can post a picture of your coop? We are struggling

Sorry I do not know how to post on here. My husband thinks someday I will need to remove some of it since it is up next to our house and in the swell in our yard. Miss Lydia has had to do my pictures for me since I am not savvy enough. By the time I will need to remove some of it I figure I will be six feet under and that will leave him to figure it out, lol. He's younger than me. He did actually help me today and I got it all moved but it was a lot of work.