Cedar shavings/ Mulch Safe for Cayuga Ducks?

[jt673]

Hi All, I am new to the forum and thought to seek some advice.

We have Cayuga Ducks that we are in progress building an aquascape for. We have the in ground pond that we are working on and adding a little fountain behind it, as this is a section of the yard that we want for them only and for us to enjoy looking at.

My question is whether cedar mulch will be okay to fill all grounds of their retreat with or should we leave the grass that is there?

We are trying to be proactive in keeping insects down and odor. Also, any good tips on keeping the water mosquito free would be helpful! We are installing a UV sterilizer the pond.

Thanks in advance!

 

[LuckyDuck411]

I have not had ducks too long (9 wks), but to help you keep down the mosquitoes get some cheap feeder goldfish and they will feed off them. However your ducks might feed off the fish unless you have hiding places for them. We have about 2, 3 inch koi and couple babies that are growing fast in our pond and I have not seen one mosquito larvae in the water.

I'm not sure if the cedar would be okay or not. I wouldn't think it would be, but I could be wrong. We use pine shavings in our ducks bedding and they do just fine. But I'm pretty sure you'll want sometime in the areas they walk through or sleep on the most as they kill our grass in those spots.

 

[jt673]

Thank you so much! I am new to these little 'big' guys too. They are 12 weeks old today and our family wants to make sure we do everything right and avoid any mishaps if we can help it.

I love the idea of the koi fish in the pond. We will definitely look into making sure we have the right filtration for them that will still keep the water safe for the ducks when they will be ducks and clean their bills in there or use that water while they feed.

Thanks again

 

[katharinad]

Cedar shaving for bedding is a big no for ducks. Cedar bark chips as mulch are ok, but it is better not to use any cedar at all. Perhaps you can use some other mulch.

 

[jrobertson]

the ducks themselves will keep the insects and the mosquito larvae under control.

 

[Snakeman]

Quote:
I don't use mulch. My ducks free range in the daytime and are only penned up at night. I just leave the ground bare and use STALLDRY or a broom and shovel when and where it's needed.
As far as mosquitoes go, if you have a pump moving the water, you shouldn't have any mosquitoes in the water. If they did get in the pond, your ducks would eat them.

 

[jt673]

Thank you all for you advice. One more question, in addition to pine chips, do you think straw/hay will work? That can be periodically raked and changed out?

Thanks

 

[MysticalMom]

I got rid of the straw in my pen long ago. It seemed to hold too much moisture and it molds if you're not careful.... I'd sat away from the straw unless you want to be raking it all out and replacing it like every other day.

 

[jt673]

I had not thought about the moisture with the straw. We try to avoid that with the chickens. It looks like we will leave as much grass as possible where they do not roam and sleep on as much and mulch with pine shavings in the other areas. Thanks again!