- Aug 31, 2009
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I don't have a pic, other people do it, maybe they have one. You can also just lay a narrow board across and put a large rock on it. As long as they can drink and wash their faces in it, that will work too.
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How often the straw needs to be changed is variable. When I had less ducks, I only spot cleaned daily and added more as needed. Now that I have 10, I take almost all of it out because they make such a mess of it, and throw more in each morning. Once the winter comes and it is so cold the poop freezes, I just use a small manure fork and pick through and pull out the frozen poop spots, and throw a few handfuls in to make sure floor is nicely covered.
That's just how I do it. Maybe others do it differently, but it has worked for me for years.
They do love mud.My ducks free range but I leave their pen open during the day so they can go in and out as they like. That's keeps the manure down but I'm not cleaning out their house at all now that the weather is cold. I just keep putting down fresh straw on top so that the poop underneath starts to break down and gives off heat. I keep a small black rubber bowl for them to drink out of during the night close to their feed, which is also close to the pen opening. They can duck their bills into it, I clean out this immediate area only, mostly so the open stays clear, whenever the weather is above freezing.
I keep a larger heated tub of water outside of their pen close to an exterior faucet so they can have a fresh bath every day. Mud keeps them happy!
Once cold weather sets in for good and temps get into low 30's I take up all pools. On days when it get into 40's off an on trough winter I offer one of those cement mixing tubs for splash time then I dump it's so much easier than a pool in winter trying to keep the ice broke up. Keeps the mud down a bit too. We're having rain right now and I noticed today they have a mud pit right next to their bucket of water. Not much we can do about it ducks just love mud. I just grin and bear it. I do use water and vinegar mixed together to try and keep the bacteria down in these place where they dig, poop and play.Back to the mud...so this my first year with ducks. 2 mixed and 3 Welsh Harlequins
They too can take dig craters in the mud. Then with their bills full of mud, they wash off in the kiddie pool. So the kiddie pull has an inch of mud and needs to be emptied more often---creating more mud. Do I take the kiddie pool away now?
They also have a dishpan and another of those shallow round feed bowls from feed store.
What is better than a kiddie pool--too hard to empty and I already added a spiket?
Thanks