Diminishing Smell

[chickens really]

@aart
Here my Pens are slopped so it runs out. I remove any straw as it thaws. It's actually not bad but I also have covered runs. I think that makes a huge difference on spring thaws..

 

[PirateGirl]

I'm not sure my method is best, partly why I'm following, I'm curious of others' suggestions. So far this is working for me. I put straw down in the run. Straw does have a tendency to mat down in a duck run. It can sometimes hold moisture as well. When things are the wettest, the smell the worst. I rake/fluff the straw about once a day. It takes maybe 2 minutes. This allows things to dry out as best as possible during the heat of the day. The ducks don't turn the bedding/soil the same way the chickens do. About once every 2 weeks I rake all the straw up (most of the poop sticks to the straw so this goes with it) and it either goes into the compost pile or gets bagged up with the trash. Then the straw from the duck house goes into the run, and new straw goes into the duck house. Also I don't dump the water in the run. There is a drinking water bucket and a pool. When they get emptied the water is used to water plants/garden beds around the property. It gets spread about. The stinky water doesn't all get dumped in the same spot daily. Someone mentioned winter. In winter the they don't get pool water as often, and the chipped out ice blocks get spread about. The drinking water bucket gets dumped and flushed down the toilet when it's scummy since the ground is frozen and I don't want to create a stinky skating rink outside.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

True, but the 'spring' thaw(s) could be highly odoriferous!
They are in my chicken run.

Now I've never had or been around ducks, but can't imagine that washing away the poops into sand and/or gravel could not all of sudden become a huge cesspool type situation.

I haven't had any issues. My ground is sloped as well. I didn't have too much of a problem with the chickens in winter and their poo just stayed in the run. A few turns with the rake and a few nice days of sunshine worked well.
If I had plain clay soil or something that did not allow it to seep down, it might be a different story. I still have grass on the duck side as well and all of it works as a filter. I have researched and feel this is the best way to do it - especially with a pool.
Now, in winter, the pool won't be available - I won't be rinsing unless it's a nice day as I don't want to create an ice rink. So, I will resort to other substrates like straw and pine shavings as @chickens really mentioned.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I'm not sure my method is best, partly why I'm following, I'm curious of others' suggestions. So far this is working for me. I put straw down in the run. Straw does have a tendency to mat down in a duck run. It can sometimes hold moisture as well. When things are the wettest, the smell the worst. I rake/fluff the straw about once a day. It takes maybe 2 minutes. This allows things to dry out as best as possible during the heat of the day. The ducks don't turn the bedding/soil the same way the chickens do. About once every 2 weeks I rake all the straw up (most of the poop sticks to the straw so this goes with it) and it either goes into the compost pile or gets bagged up with the trash. Then the straw from the duck house goes into the run, and new straw goes into the duck house. Also I don't dump the water in the run. There is a drinking water bucket and a pool. When they get emptied the water is used to water plants/garden beds around the property. It gets spread about. The stinky water doesn't all get dumped in the same spot daily. Someone mentioned winter. In winter the they don't get pool water as often, and the chipped out ice blocks get spread about. The drinking water bucket gets dumped and flushed down the toilet when it's scummy since the ground is frozen and I don't want to create a stinky skating rink outside.

How do you empty your pool?

 

[PirateGirl]

How do you empty your pool?

I put in a drain, which was kinda a fail, it gets clogged and the pool isn't high enough in relation to the garden to drain it through the hose and water the garden directly. I tried raising the pool and the ducks wouldn't have it. I went back to the original method of scooping out a bucket of water at a time and then dumping the bucket in various locations around property to water my flowers/veggies/trees/etc. We are in drought; I will not waste a drop, plus it's natural fertilizer. By the time the water gets changed out the ducks have already drank and/or sloshed out at least half of it. Sometimes I use a stock tank instead of the kiddie pool. The stock tank is much sturdier and two people can carry it together with water in it to another location to dump.

 

[LaineyMehrer]

It would be good if you add you r location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!
View attachment 1463161

I’m in Mesa, AZ