Overnight routine...

rebcart1905

In the Brooder
5 Years
Mar 11, 2014
73
3
43
Princeton, Minnesota
So I have a question on your overnight routines....my ducks are finally in a good routine of coming in when I come out to do horse chores, the minute they hear my truck pull in and heading to the pole shed theyre waddling up to the barn from the pond...sometimes its as early as 6pm but I try to make it closer to sunset....anyways, we have a large run that takes at least 2.5 bales of shavings to comfortably bed the entire floor for a while they were doing great and not making much of a mess, I have a gravity waterer full fresh each night and an open pale filled to the brim, along with 2 cups of feed a flake or so of alfalfa to mess around in and theyre set....but lately its been a MESS in there....and I think its crazy I have to clean it out almost on the daily and replace bedding....

Ive read a few threads that sound like some folks will not have free choice water/feed over night....if so how does that work, I feel they need water at all times...do you feed right away in the morning when you come out then? Mine are out all day from approx. 10-8pm most nights...foraging in the pond etc...

I almost want to try taking away water/feed at night, feeding in the morning down at the pond and maybe treats when they come up at night then?
 
Yes thats a good idea, having water and food at night may not be a good idea, your ducks could get bored and gorge themselves over there food. Also if you have food you have to have water! (it helps them get the food down the big neck) Feed them every morning at their pen so that they know to go to bed in that same pen, thats what I do to get them to go in the coop at night, they know that in the morning they get food. I do not give any treats at bed time… this may not work for your ducks but I feed them where they sleep. Yes ducks love treats!!So If my Method does not work them lure them in at night with treats.

Farm316
 
A lot of my birds don't just depends on the set-up, your right it cause an extreme mess.. since ducks MUST have water with food your dealing with several dynamics of mess.

Anyways, i never do it with young between 6-8wks is when i pull it, in the morning and throughout the day right till close in time they have access to water/feed free choice.
 
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I only leave feed and water for ducklings under about 5 weeks old; after that they only get fed during the day.

Saves on mess and saves on wasted food.

I used to leave food and water for the adults too but found that they weren't eating much anyway - just making a bloody mess!
 
There are ways to set up the water so they don't make much of a mess. Several people on here have set ups that seem to work really well to keep down the mess.

IMO, ducks are messy. Not a whole lot of other ways around it. I personally prefer food and water over night because I cannot leave food down all day (goats eat it), so I feed them periodically during the day and then they have food at night. They have tons of bowls and a large pool also which they access during the day only. I don't feed daytime food as much during this time of year, they free range a lot and can fend for themselves quite a bit, but as the natural food supply disappears, I make sure they eat more regularly during the day. Mine seem to have figured out that if I head towards their area and they follow me, they will get something.
 

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