Duck food and STINK!!

[pamelajean]

I have had my duckling out for over 8 weeks. The grassy area that I had their food sitting on is now a bare dirt/muddy area with spilled bits food and a serious stink going on. I was violently gagging yesterday trying to clean up spilled, rotting food. Would putting down mulch or straw or sand or something help? What do you do for feeding your ducks? (I take food out of yard overnight to prevent drawing in other animals and give fresh food every morning).

 

[Miss Lydia]

My dh used scrap lumber and made me wooden containers to sit my feed containers in and I have a heavy plastic liner like you put under a washing machine under that. Boy Ducks are messy but this does help keep the food better off the ground. Rotting feed especially if mold begins to grow can make poultry sick and even kill them.

 

[CarleeAnn]

I have had this problem too. At first I placed their food on a stone I could hose off and that helped a little, but it was still messy. I put their food in an additional bowl (so despenser inside of large container) and this has helped even more. I plan to get small rocks/pebbles to put around their food area and pond, both places where I dump water, to help with irrigation and easier cleaning! Hosing off rocks seems more sanitary than a dirt ground, but I may just be displacing the problem. Maybe a plastic liner like MissLydia said would be best.

 

[pamelajean]

Thanks for the idea Miss Lydia. I have an unused plastic boot tray...do you think the little lip of plastic around the edge could hurt their feet though? That would be super easy to clean off and catch any spills....hmm...

 

[lomine]

If that doesn't work I have seen feeders made from buckets and totes that have holes for them to stick their heads in. That way they can't really toss the food out on the ground. This post has some different examples. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-feeder.1103061/

 

[Miss Lydia]

The boot tray I had that I used finally cracked had a lip that wasn't sharp and they used it fine. My Runners are the worst for carrying feed in their mouths to their water buckets so I had to sit a bucket of water closer to the feed and on top of the washer tray and that has really helped to keep less feed on the ground.

 

[CarleeAnn]

I think I may try something like this, it was on the thread lomine posted. Perhaps I could find a grate and even just set the food on it with like a cookie sheet or some tray under it to catch the food.

 

[pamelajean]

If that doesn't work I have seen feeders made from buckets and totes that have holes for them to stick their heads in. That way they can't really toss the food out on the ground. This post has some different examples. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-feeder.1103061/

I was just looking at these online...might go this route, especially for winter once snow flies. For now am going to try the boot tray.