Duck Enclosure Stinks

[TheHighlandChick01]

We have a 10’ x 10’ dog kennel for our duck enclosure. We have fortified it with hardware cloth, which is 4’ high, and extra heavy duty tarps on all sides. We also have a roof made out of tarps and a metal kennel cover to help keep everything in place.

My husband made a three sided enclosed area made out of wood for them to hunker down in @ night. It’s in a corner of their enclosure.

In the summer we used river rock for the flooring & we had a 40 gallon stock tank for them to swim in. A weeks ago we had a cold snap with snow & freezing temps so we quickly switched everything over to winter:we covered up their indoor stock tank and we laid down straw over the river rocks so it’s all comfy & toasty inside.

We have been adding straw on a regular basis & then removing as much wet straw as possible. The enclosure still stinks though, and we have some long months up ahead, so I’m wondering if there is anything else we can do to help cut down on the smell. Thoughts?

 

[katiebrock]

I get Sweet PDX stall refresher and it seems to work really well. I stir up the old bedding, sprinkl some PDZ on it, and then put a small layer of new bedding over it.

 

[PirateGirl]

The drier you can keep it the better it will smell. Also your run sounds very closed up with tarps on all sides, which will keep in moisture and smell. Perhaps you can roll the tarps down from the top to open it up some. In winter I only give bathing water periodically. I also like to give the water in a location other than the small run near their house to minimize the wet mess. You will likely need to remove ALL the straw periodically and replace with new.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I don’t think straw absorbs much so I use deep pine shaving that I replace if too wet. Then, I put straw or hay on top of the shavings when it is really cold. It works well for my five.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Does this area have good ventilation? It's very important to have good ventilation with poultry.

 

[chickens really]

Thank you so much!!! Any particular sand? I have heard of using construction grade for chickens but maybe any sand works for ducks? How deep do you keep the sand? One final question: Is it easy to scoop up their waste from the sand? Thank you again!!!

Hawaiian white sand and bought at a landscaping yard. Under is gravel..

Definitely just using that tiller hand tool is enough. Replace or top off sand as needed.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

We have a 10’ x 10’ dog kennel for our duck enclosure. We have fortified it with hardware cloth, which is 4’ high, and extra heavy duty tarps on all sides. We also have a roof made out of tarps and a metal kennel cover to help keep everything in place.

My husband made a three sided enclosed area made out of wood for them to hunker down in @ night. It’s in a corner of their enclosure.

In the summer we used river rock for the flooring & we had a 40 gallon stock tank for them to swim in. A weeks ago we had a cold snap with snow & freezing temps so we quickly switched everything over to winter:we covered up their indoor stock tank and we laid down straw over the river rocks so it’s all comfy & toasty inside.

We have been adding straw on a regular basis & then removing as much wet straw as possible. The enclosure still stinks though, and we have some long months up ahead, so I’m wondering if there is anything else we can do to help cut down on the smell. Thoughts?

Are you making sure there is proper ventilation..duck poop gives off ammonia which can be toxic if there is not enough ventilation..so, I personally would rather have cold ducks than dead ducks...really..next..you have to clean out the straw daily...sorry to say, but that’s basically like a barn and,,in a barn. You clean daily...ducks don’t need to swim in the winter months..it’s just going to make everything damp and stinky..I’ve read a ton of posts on here where people even used plastic totes and put holes in them so the ducks can get their whole head inside...but, can’t mane a terrible mess..we plan to marm warming boxes..we are heating our barn water so we don’t want it too hot or too cod for them, so we’re making simple wooden box toppers with holes so it keeps the heat in and from freezing longer. Another tip to prevent freezing..fill a water bottle full of salt and seal it, place in their water...salt water freezes slower..hope this helps

 

[HuskerHens18]

How many ducks do you have? I have 2 in a 10x10 enclosure and they've made a disaster of it. I wonder if there's not enough room so their smelly poop accumulates faster than you can remove. I've heard great things about PDZ, like Katiebrock said.

 

[TheHighlandChick01]

Does this area have good ventilation? It's very important to have good ventilation with poultry.

How many ducks do you have? I have 2 in a 10x10 enclosure and they've made a disaster of it. I wonder if there's not enough room so their smelly poop accumulates faster than you can remove. I've heard great things about PDZ, like Katiebrock said.

We have three ducks. They tend to go to the bathroom in the same exact spot every time so it gets wet pretty quick.

 

[chickens really]

That spot blocked by railroad ties is full of straw in the winter.