Duck hut and run area SO mucky and stinky! Any ideas?

[USMCwifey]

Our duck hut and the surrounding pen area are getting SO mucky and stinky. I put pine shavings in the hut, but haven't figured out what to put on the ground in the outdoor run area. They free range threw out the day, but when we leave or aren't around we lock them in the outdoor run. it's become very muddy from the little pool and all the duck poop. It's also starting to smell pretty bad! I tried hosing the ground down, but now that the grass is gone it just makes it worse. What can I use on the ground? I tried dried grass, but that doesn't work very well either. Any ideas? What do you guys use to keep the stink down?

 

[benjoycei]

a load of sand?

 

[al6517]

LOL welcome to keeping duck's. Duck's do serve a purpose and can be cool to have around. but they are the nastiest thing's and will always leave a mess if they have access to water. Your set-up seems Ok and I think your responsible for penning them when your not home. you just have to get use to it being nasty.

 

[animalpro24]

Maybe Pea gravel?

 

[70%cocoa]

I'd build a timber surround around the base of your pen and fill it with pea gravel or sand or smooth river stones. You can hose the poo away through the gravel/sand. Plant stuff around it that likes water, this will help use up nutrients that wash out. I use a sand base like this and there is no stink problem because it drains well. I rake the sand to keep it aerated. Aerated and well drained is what you need.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Have you uploaded any of the pictures of the wonderful abode you have built for your ducks 70%cocoa?? Im sure many people could benefit from seeing and hearing about how you went about it- and the improvements you made as you went along.

 

[70%cocoa]

Hi Alicia, and thanks for your kind words about my duck house!

I've put up one pic of the pen, but not the full 'saga'. I'm travelling for work at the moment but I'll do a thread on it once I'm home

 

[duckyfromoz]

You have put so many great ideas together. The members here will be grateful for you sharing some photos for ideas and benefit from the wonderful advice from how you have gone about your planning and building.

Hope your duckies are being well looked after while you are away from home. It must be easy for someone else to step in to do the feeding and watering with the wonderful work gone into your coop design.

 

[70%cocoa]

My OH is doing the duck (and chicken) management. He hates getting dirty or doing mucky tasks but he reports that he's coping very well so I reckon that means that the duck pen system has passed the ultimate test

 

[mangled]

Try Sweet PDZ. Tractor Supply sells it, and our local feed store. It's used for horse stalls, I believe, but works wonders in the runs. Our duck run is terrible to keep clean. I throw down some PDZ between muckings and it keeps the flies and smell down.


Good luck-
Em