Bedding for Duck House? Hay or Shavings?

[Chick_a_dee]

LOL your ducks are very strange to eat the shavings..my just compact them down and make the thing a swamp in their brooder..We'll be putting them on straw, making it like a big nest at one end. They'll have 24/7 access to a small triangular run that is secure with their water outside so I'm hoping to keep them dry inside, they'll be in a large run during the day

 

[headred]

I like straw. Its cheap and I can rake it up and put it on my garden pretty easily.

 

[Giddyup]

Shavings on the floor and hay in the nestboxes. The coop used to stink - until I painted it - wall and floor. Shavings on the floor, some DE mixed in - i haven't had to clean it yet. Picked a couple of spots but otherwise just tossed it with the DE. No stink - 4 ducks at the moment. No water in the coop either. Food is removed at night so there's no choking when they are locked in.

No stink
No wet
No eating either??

 

[Lolliegee]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm still not sure what I'm going to use yet. However, my ducks (5 of them) have been going into the chicken coop at night and so far, don't see to have made a huge mess of it. It has shavings in it. Maybe it's because it's not right next to the water, that it hasn't gotten all mucky? We're in the process of digging a pond that will be about 25 feet from where the duck house is going. Do you think that distance will help keep the bedding dry? I also do not plan to feed or water them in the duck house. It's strictly for laying eggs and protection from nocturnal predators.

 

[Duck Keeper]

Quote:
My ducks ate that stuff. ;
Granted, it was blue colored, but it's still bad all the same.

 

[ExpLo721]

I use wood shavings, and my ducks do not try to eat them. They nibble at it from time to time, but I watch them closely and they do not eat them. The wood shavings mask the smell pretty well as long as you complement it with a safe air freshener. Just make sure you change the wood shavings often. I change mine once per week.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

I am thinking of going with a big piece of astroturf for my duck house, at least for the warm weather. Then I can hose it off every day and let it dry in the sun. Cheaper in the long run than shavings, hay or straw. All of which are fetching a premium price here in spendy Vermont.

 

[Lolliegee]

Here in Oregon, shavings are still not too spendy. Only about $8.00 for a big bag of them. I may just start with that and see how it goes.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[tiggger]

Has anyone tried the pelleted bedding? we use it with our horses, goats as bedding and as litter for the rabbit and the cats..when it is wet it turns to shavings. It has no smell when it. it wont work for the chickens because they are not wet but maybe it would work for ducks?

 

[Duck Keeper]

Quote:
When those get wet, they turn to MUSH!
It's disgusting! The worst thing to use, in my opinion.