LOL!! I'm so screwed!

[jtbrown]

Oh my, I swore after my first pekins that I would never, ever, in a million years have more ducks. I have only had them since this spring. I have a male and female, I gave away two other boys to someone else with a bachelor boys who had lost some to predation. But those tiny little yellow fluff balls wrecked my chicken coop! Pooping machines I tell you.

We adapted. So, after covering my smaller of the two chicken runs, and making a separate area for the pekins, I actually mentioned getting a few more if I could find some girls. My husband

said, I thought you said never again. I said, "well that was obviously when they were messy and I didn't know how to care for their messiness as they were so different than chicks/chickens. Now that I have 7-8 weeks of experience, well, I'm kind of wanting more."

He is very good natured and just laughed.

We spent the entire day memorial day putting roof of hardware cloth over our hardware cloth run that is 32 ft x 5 ft x 32 ft by 16 feet. Kind of pricey, but I wanted them to have a separate area with their pool and NOT in my chicken house. The ducks cannot get into the chicken house as the ramp is too steep, and the chickens can come visit the ducks at will. So, now that he helped me get the roof on the run, I can really do the rest myself, thinking of all kinds of ways to make it cool for them!

So, Now they are in protected run, with "lean to" for house and I will be building a nice duck house by fall for them. I empty their pool(s)

every day or two and they seem very happy.

I think, I think, I think I may be hooked!

 

[LilMissChz]

I'm so glad you wrote this jtbrown. This pretty much sums up what we are planning to do. After coming home to an even bigger mud holeS!!! I decided it was time for the husband and I to have a chat. So we have strategized and we are coming up with permanent solutions for long term care and location.

Also about the "pig" comment. I was using "pig" as a lay person reference. Seriously no offense intended. My favorite pet/food growing up were Porky & Snorky. Good times, both playing and eating. So I have an intimate knowledge of pigs. I'm just saying, compared to a pig, the duck is the pig, not the pig.

I love my ducks.

We spent the entire day memorial day putting roof of hardware cloth over our hardware cloth run that is 32 ft x 5 ft x 32 ft by 16 feet. Kind of pricey, but I wanted them to have a separate area with their pool and NOT in my chicken house. The ducks cannot get into the chicken house as the ramp is too steep, and the chickens can come visit the ducks at will. So, now that he helped me get the roof on the run, I can really do the rest myself, thinking of all kinds of ways to make it cool for them!

So, Now they are in protected run, with "lean to" for house and I will be building a nice duck house by fall for them. I empty their pool(s)

every day or two and they seem very happy.

I think, I think, I think I may be hooked!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Your plants will rise up and call you blessed if you give them that duck stuff.

Mine like duck poop soup (dissolved in cool water, not boiling water!), duck-enriched straw, duck-straw mulch, and the occasional straight poo treat. It speeds up my compost process, too.

If you do have an area where they can enrich the mud, that is wonderful potting soil, or an amendment to potting soil. I combine that with coir and put it in pots and wow, are my tomatoes happy!

I also noticed that where they can just be on soil, it pretty quickly disappears into the ground. We have a pretty well-drained loamy soil here. On clay, it could get pretty slick, I think.

I just have to comment: I use composted duck bedding in my garden as a mulch. I have an artichoke plant in one of my garden beds that's bigger than my fiver year old son! I just took the first artichoke off it. Near Seattle, where weather for these things is nowhere near ideal.

They are messy and a ton of work, but I love my duck family. They are so amazing.

 

[Bleenie]

Thank goodness Muscovies aren't as messy as other ducks. But I have to say, having ducks makes me glad we have a mole problem... Every time I have to empty their pool I just grab a stick and open up one of the mole holes, Abracadbra! no mess!

 

[Bleenie]

I just have to comment: I use composted duck bedding in my garden as a mulch. I have an artichoke plant in one of my garden beds that's bigger than my fiver year old son! I just took the first artichoke off it. Near Seattle, where weather for these things is nowhere near ideal.

They are messy and a ton of work, but I love my duck family. They are so amazing.

UGH, I am so jealous, I haven't even got my garden started!!!

 

[BunnyMomma]

I think this is the funniest thing I've ever read! I've been thinking about getting some call ducks, but now I'm not so sure! Your description was so vivid, about all the poop, and poop yoga, I thought I would pee myself laughing. I don't think I'm ready for ducks yet! But, they are so cute............

 

[LilMissChz]

They are cute. But remember one thing. Poop soup doesn't smell like roses. And it needs constant and immediate attention. It's ruthless.

 

[Billy-jean]

I'm so glad you wrote this jtbrown. This pretty much sums up what we are planning to do. After coming home to an even bigger mud holeS!!! I decided it was time for the husband and I to have a chat. So we have strategized and we are coming up with permanent solutions for long term care and location.

Also about the "pig" comment. I was using "pig" as a lay person reference. Seriously no offense intended. My favorite pet/food growing up were Porky & Snorky. Good times, both playing and eating. So I have an intimate knowledge of pigs. I'm just saying, compared to a pig, the duck is the pig, not the pig.

I love my ducks.

Don't worry,,no offense taken at all about the pig comment! I just think it's funny when people refer to pigs as messy,,when it's quite the opposite,as you would know,,I love pigs )

 

[Jay-Mar28]

In my duck run i solved the poopy mess issue by adding a couple inches of wood chippings a local tree cutting buissness, they were just throwing them away so i asked for a few wheel barrels full and the problem was solved. The poop filters right down through them. i will have to replace the chippings in a few weeks as they are starting to break down but they ve lasted over a month and been clean free,

 

[LilMissChz]

In my duck run i solved the poopy mess issue by adding a couple inches of wood chippings a local tree cutting buissness, they were just throwing them away so i asked for a few wheel barrels full and the problem was solved. The poop filters right down through them. i will have to replace the chippings in a few weeks as they are starting to break down but they ve lasted over a month and been clean free,

That's a great idea. We have access to all kinds of stuff like that. We've started working on their new home now. We have a natural drainage area and have them camped over it at the moment. At the base, lowest point of the drainage is where we are going to put them. Only natural to give them the best drainage possible. We're coping.