Yes, ducks are a mess! I have four and they are pros at finding any water or mud in their area. My setup works, but I'm always tweaking it as I learn more how they work. They have one waterer inside their pen. It is a plastic kitty litter container/jug with a handle with the top cut out so they can only get their bills in it. And, I have it sitting inside a large rubber feed bowl/tub. That way the water mess falls into the tub, like a mote around a stinky castle. I try to replace it with clean water every few days. Their pen is filled with a mixture of wood mulch and straw that I try and flip once a week. Their food is about 8 ft away from their water jug. Then, there is a small door that they go through to get in their outside pen which is filled with mulch and has a large rubber tub that I try to fill with fresh water every few days so they have something to climb into and do a little swimming. It fits one fine, but there are usually two cramming in it at a time. I try and throw lots of weeds and lettuce and such in their pen for them every day or so. So, the smell isn't too bad. Maybe because most of their water mess and poo is outside. In the winter time I use a large water bucket with a deicer in it and try to give them fresh water every few days. But, they seem to be most happy outside, even when the snow is blowing sideways! I really like the fact that they are such hardy animals and will brave any kind of weather - or I should say wet weather, be it snow, ice or rain!
My husband dug a whole in the ground and put a plastic tote in it when I bought our first ducks and they loved it.
