Best bedding for ducks?

[PoultryAddict 1]

Hello! ( and sorry for all my threads, I have a obsession with ducks)

Got my 2 Cayuga and Welsh Harlaquin ducklings from Metzer farms this morning, They are eating and drinking fine, So now I'm trying to find a decent bedding for them as adults.

They are going to go with my 3 chickens in my 10X by 10X foot run with their attached coop, but I have NO idea what to use as bedding.

Right now my chickens are in the coop, which has pine chips, and the run is just plain dirt, Which I have read will get muddy real quick with ducks. So I guess my questions are...

(1) What run bedding will keep the mud out but still keep them cool?,( because I do live in florida.)

(2) Can sand be used? I have heard mixed messages, and I don't want my chickens to get impacted crops or anything like that.

(2) What about pea gravel? will it hurt their feet? (chickens and ducks)

Thanks!

 

[Whittni]

You can never ask too many questions, keep 'em coming! Pine wood chip shavings are the best.

 

[TLWR]

I don't use bedding with my ducks. They sleep on the wood floor of their house. They have a bin with pinestraw for egg laying. Sometimes, somebody just hangs out on the nest, other times, they all just pick a corner of the house and sleep there.
Then each morning, I hose their house out and refill the egg bin as necessary. The chickens like it with lots of pinestraw, the ducks pull some out each night. Chickens had their own, but the decided they liked the duck house for laying much better, so now they all just use the one bin.

With my first trio of ducklings, they spent a lot of time in the old dog potty yard which was pea stone and had no problems, but if it is all they have, I could see it causing problems with their feet.
I use sand in the brooder for my chicks, but haven't tried with ducks.

 

[PoultryAddict 1]

Thanks! I can't imagine hosing down my coop, here in florida the humidity is so great that you have to paint down mold block every 5 weeks so the coop can'r disinagrate. I'd imagine the ducks feet and knees would get sore, you might want to put some bedding down for them...Imagine if your bed was a solid piece of wood! (Just a thought)
I'll probly end up using some hay.

 

[Devw]

Personally, I use straw/dried hay as bedding. Not terribly deep. It's easy to keep clean, and doesn't stick to the barn floor as long as it's done every month or so. My barn doesn't have the best insulation, so it helps keep my ducks warm during the winter (though not too relevant in your case!). It also helps release heat since the layer would be very porous.

Also, you might want to keep the water container small, or not in the barn at all. It will help keep the barn from getting too gross.

Pea gravel will be fine, as long as there's an area in the coop they can get off of (It would work well for your run. My chickens love it lol.) I usually have it around their pools, or waterers.

I wouldn't recommend sand for full grown ducks. Maybe in outdoor areas, but not in the barn.

 

[PoultryAddict 1]

"barn"
*cracking up*
I have a small urban yard, about a quarter of the size of a football field, with a large dog run containing my chickens (and soon ducks) and the porch containing my quail and finches...
I wish I had a barn.
Thanks for the advise!