I use puppy potty pads. you can get them cheap and they absorb the water well. I clean it 2 a day.
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I used pine shavings for the first week or so, but it was making it stink a lot quicker the older they got. There is a swap and sell group on Facebook for my area so I asked if anyone had old towels. A lady that works at a nursing home said she had 2 large bags of bed linens that I could have. I guess once they stain they just get rid of them, so I've been using those and they work great. I change the bedding once a day in the afternoon, and add an extra layer of bedding before going to bed. So maybe check a nursing home in your area and see if they can help.
Good luck!
I don't mean to scare you, but I really need to share this:
Be very careful doing this. Old folks in nursing homes are prone to a disease called Clostridium Difficile (C. Diff)... which is a severe and sometimes deadly intestinal infection. It is highly contagious if you come in contact with infected feces. Please, please, please be very careful! The bacteria that cause this infection produce hard-shelled spores that are almost impossible to kill with chemicals (like bleach and laundry detergent) and can live on surfaces for a long period of time and once they are unknowingly ingested they find a cozy spot in the intestines and come to life, reproducing like crazy. I'm not worried about the ducklings, I'm worried about the person changing the duckling's bedding.
I had this infection for months until I was able to successfully treat it (with massive, damaging dosages of antibiotics)... and I still have intestinal issues over a year later from the whole ordeal. It is rampant in nursing homes, although I got it from taking an antibiotic for a tooth infection (the antibiotic is called Clyndamycin).
P.S. I am young (26 now, 25 at the time) and don't have a compromised immune system, so the disease does not only effect the elderly. And young children are also very susceptible to it. This disease is really becoming a problem because it is so difficult to treat and the strain of bacteria is becoming very resistant to treatment. I'm surprised nursing homes are giving away soiled/stained sheets from their residents.