Need help with keeping Cage dry???NEVERMIND

[xfilesnumber1fan]

Heres a pic of the pen...The tarp keeps in dry from the rain...No I am not using the tarp a as a top there is chicken wire welding to the pen under the tarp...The problem is the cage is where the pool use to sit so it is sand and dirt and dips alittle in the middle but very level and very flat when it rains it just soaks the bottom and takes forever to dry out and then the hay is all gross Any have any ideas how to lessen all this mess???

One more question I was thinking about getting a dog house it big for them to get into this winter or make a nest..What do you think? They need some shelter inside the cage right??? Thanks

 

[Duck Keeper]

Take their pool out!

They're fine without swimming water, and it'll be better for their feet in the long run to keep it dry.




Edit:
Nice ducks! Are they Harlequins?

 

[xfilesnumber1fan]

Its not the pool that is the problem...My ducks are swimmers....They need the pool...the pool has a drain system set up so then I change the water it drains out the back and down the hill.....The are mallards,crested,mixed pekin

 

[Feathered Wings]

Quote:
I agree but want to add if the hay is a problem when it rains then just remove it.
It's okay if they are just walking on the bare ground and you can rake out the poop.

But yes remove the pool

 

[xfilesnumber1fan]

I dont understand why everyone thinks it good for ducks not to be able to swim??? I ducks love it...They are ducks they love water...And again its not the pool it has a drain system and they dont splash alot either its the rain and I was just asking if there is some way to keep the ground dry from it..Like a drain system someone has tryed??? Different bedding,such as wood shavings or pellets??

 

[Feathered Wings]

Okay i hear you but the small space and the splashing probably is contributing to the not drying out.
I still would advise removing the straw and not replacing it.

If you like to let them swim you could put the pool outside the pen then let them out for a short while to swim then herd them back in their pen.

 

[xfilesnumber1fan]

Quote:
Again its not the pool...It has been raining here for 7 days straight....

 

[Duck Keeper]

Quote:
I never said it's bad for them to swim, I said it's bad to have their pool in the pen with them!

It can make the pen a breeding ground for bacteria, which can turn into Bumblefoot. Research that puppy and see if you want to keep the pool in there...

I realize they LOVE their pool, I have ducks too.

I'm just saying maybe you can take it out of their pen, and let them swim in it during the day. If your yard is fenced in, they'll stay back there. My ducks stay around our house even though they have four acres to roam freely. No fences or anything. Even our Mallards hang around, they have never tried to fly away.

My ducks get to swim in their pool whenever they want to during the day, since the water splashes out on the sand, and the ground in their pen (which is just a chain-link dog kennel with tarps like yours) stays dry and healthy!

 

[CoopCrazy]

Edited: Come someone can typ faster then me..

 

[Duck Keeper]

Quote:
Again its not the pool...It has been raining here for 7 days straight....

Well I wish I could have known that!

Rake and push the slop out of their pen every day, and if it's possible, I'd recommend using sand in their pen area so the water can drain away.