Lets Talk About How Clean Ducks Are ;)

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Hilfox84

Hilfox84

Chirping
Apr 23, 2015
50
7
61
Indiana
I want to see different ways you all have come up with to keep waterers, food, bedding, houses, pens ect cleaner. I know it is understatement to say that ducks are messy but I'm always looking for new ideas on how everyone else deals with this. For my ducks the biggest issue is in their house. I lock them up at night with a gallon waterer and by morning everything is completely soaked including their food. I'm not sure how it gets like that because the waterer isn't really big enough for them to play in. Any ideas on how to maybe keep it a little more dry in there for more than a night? lol

Pictures are encouraged! :)


Here's my happy clan :)

 
My ducks live outside if they go in the shed its only to eat as any container of water gets knocked over
 
Someone else had the bri.lliant! idea to take the top off of a pet taxi, plastic carrier and put the waterer in it. I have one of the gravity feed waterers and I've pushed it to the back corner. The lip on the front where the door would be attached is tall enough to keep water in and as long as shavings are kept at a small distance, only ones that get in the carrier by mistake get wet. It's been a Godsend! They're 5 weeks and they just stick their heads over the side of it to get to their water. The shavings are built up enough that they don't have to strain over the carrier's side. Feel like I've beat them at their own game! Heh heh.
400

Bear in mind, my daughter wasn't home from school yet, so she hadn't done anything with their bedding. Before school=enough food and water for the day After school=clean the bedding and a swim.
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I don't keep food or water in their house ever that's how I keep mine dry lol! In their run I keep all water/pools in one corner, keeps the mudd in one area.
 
Mrs.H said:
I don't keep food or water in their house ever that's how I keep mine dry lol! In their run I keep all water/pools in one corner, keeps the mudd in one area.
Click to expand...
So you think its okay to NOT give them food or water at night then? This sounds like the best solution lol
 
I would not be comfortable, personally, with keeping them overnight without water. Ducks drink often and they drink a lot. I have seen my muscovies up at night drinking many times. I'm not saying it's going to kill them--I just don't think its the kind thing to do. (Ducks always seem more relaxed and content to me with water accessible nearby too, probably for instinctive reasons.)

I keep mine in an open pen on dirt, with a deep bedding of leaves and/or wood chips. THey can't get things that muddy unless they are on bare dirt! If these get wet it doesn't much matter. The top is covered with netting so they can't fly or climb out when it's closed, but they sleep usually in a three-sided shelter attached to that run area. As long as there is enough bedding, and it gets stirred occasionally with a rake, it's fine--it's almost never completely dry, and clean is a relative term, but even with rain and splashing and lots of pooing, it normally doesn't stink and isn't what I would call unhygenic (and our standards are fairly high--I take livestock welfare pretty seriously, plus we have guests visiting often and my brother lives just downwind of the pen too). Sometime we put their larger water tub out on the grass near the pen when it's open, and move it around periodically so it doesn't kill the grass. But as a rule we always make sure they have access to at least a small portable jug waterer during the night if nothing else.

My arrangement is not predator proof however, as we have no predators here to worry about.
 
Last edited:
triplepurpose said:
I would not be comfortable, personally, with keeping them overnight without water. Ducks drink often and they drink a lot. I have seen my muscovies up at night drinking many times. I'm not saying it's going to kill them--I just don't think its the kind thing to do. (Ducks always seem more relaxed and content to me with water accessible nearby too, probably for instinctive reasons.)

I keep mine in an open pen on dirt, with a deep bedding of leaves and/or wood chips. THey can't get things that muddy unless they are on bare dirt! If these get wet it doesn't much matter. The top is covered with netting so they can't fly or climb out when it's closed, but they sleep usually in a three-sided shelter attached to that run area. As long as there is enough bedding, and it gets stirred occasionally with a rake, it's fine--it's almost never completely dry, and clean is a relative term, but even with rain and splashing and lots of pooing, it normally doesn't stink and isn't what I would call unhygenic (and our standards are fairly high--I take livestock welfare pretty seriously, plus we have guests visiting often and my brother lives just downwind of the pen too). Sometime we put their larger water tub out on the grass near the pen when it's open, and move it around periodically so it doesn't kill the grass. But as a rule we always make sure they have access to at least a small portable jug waterer during the night if nothing else.

My arrangement is not predator proof however, as we have no predators here to worry about.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info! I have lots of predators around so I have to lock them up. Maybe I'll just give them a smaller waterer at night :)
 
Last edited:
Hilfox84 said:
So you think its okay to NOT give them food or water at night then? This sounds like the best solution lol
Click to expand...


There will be mixed reviews that it's ok and not ok. I just don't. Now if it's going to be extremely hot and humid then some water over night like stated in another reply would be a good idea
 

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