duck pen flooring

[duckhead18]

i got a waterfowl farm starting up with non domestic waterfowl breeds such as mallards,teal,gadwall,pintail,wegion, etc. as of right now i have 2 pens and the mallards are mudding up the whole pen, filling my ponds in wuth mud. any ideas on concreting the pens?

 

[Amiga]

I would post over in the Ornamental Fowl forum and see if someone has some ideas there.

 

[buff goose guy]

i got a waterfowl farm starting up with non domestic waterfowl breeds such as mallards,teal,gadwall,pintail,wegion, etc. as of right now i have 2 pens and the mallards are mudding up the whole pen, filling my ponds in wuth mud. any ideas on concreting the pens?

i recommend separating the mallards as they are bigger than most ornamental breeds they could cause a problem if anything violent happens .

Also many ornamental waterfowl are cleaner than mallard breeds i dont know what it is but they just dont make as big a mess probably because they are smaller.

so a few separate pens for the mallards would probably be better

 

[Orca5094]

Ducks should never be kept on concrete, so I would advise against that. You will end up with bumblefoot on everyone. It's just too hard and rough on their feet. If you absolutely must do that, you can put rubber stall mats over the top of the concrete to provide cushioning and give them a smoother surface to be on. Alot of people use bark or mulch in their duck pens, so maybe that might help? Some use gravel as well so it drains better, but that will also be tough on their feet.

I just have grass pens myself, and it works for me because I have a small number of ducks in very large pens. I rotate the pen they are in so none of them get destroyed. This probably won't be possible in your situation, though.

 

[elly21]

Ducks should never be kept on concrete, so I would advise against that. You will end up with bumblefoot on everyone. It's just too hard and rough on their feet. If you absolutely must do that, you can put rubber stall mats over the top of the concrete to provide cushioning and give them a smoother surface to be on. Alot of people use bark or mulch in their duck pens, so maybe that might help? Some use gravel as well so it drains better, but that will also be tough on their feet.

I just have grass pens myself, and it works for me because I have a small number of ducks in very large pens. I rotate the pen they are in so none of them get destroyed. This probably won't be possible in your situation, though.

Our duck pen is under our deck. The biggest part of the pen is dirt and/or mud depending on the weather or how much water they have splashed out of their pool. But their house is set up on a concrete slab and there is a bit of concrete down there. Will this be a problem? They don't spend much time on the concrete. During the day they have been free ranging.

 

[Orca5094]

Quote:
How long have your ducks lived with this arrangement? I would check the bottom of all of your duck's feet for bumbles to see if they are ok with the current substrate or not. If they've lived there awhile now and no one has any bumbles, then they are probably fine. If anyone has any sign of bumbles, then I would start treating those and cover all concrete areas with rubber mats or some type of bedding (wood shavings, straw, etc).

I am paranoid about bumblefoot now after treating one of my ducks this past spring, so I cover everything that might be too hard on their feet (like hard packed dirt or of course any bit of concrete). I've had no problems since then, thank goodness.

 

[elly21]

How long have your ducks lived with this arrangement? I would check the bottom of all of your duck's feet for bumbles to see if they are ok with the current substrate or not. If they've lived there awhile now and no one has any bumbles, then they are probably fine. If anyone has any sign of bumbles, then I would start treating those and cover all concrete areas with rubber mats or some type of bedding (wood shavings, straw, etc).

I am paranoid about bumblefoot now after treating one of my ducks this past spring, so I cover everything that might be too hard on their feet (like hard packed dirt or of course any bit of concrete). I've had no problems since then, thank goodness.

I think since the end of May or so. Would it help if I put straw down on the concrete? Can you see the step up where it is shaded in the photo? Their coop sits up on the concrete slab. The rest of the pen is dirt. I leave the door to the pen open during the day so they can forage in the yard.

 

[Orca5094]

Quote:
Yes, straw on top of that concrete area would help alot.

Have you checked your ducks' feet yet? That's always good to do every so often anyway. Just so you know no one has any scratches, injuries, or bumbles starting to form there. It's the one place that is most often overlooked when it comes to duck health and care.

 

[elly21]

No, I haven't. I'll have to do that when we put them in their pen tonight. It will be easier to catch them in there. lol

 

[Buck Oakes]

i got a waterfowl farm starting up with non domestic waterfowl breeds such as mallards,teal,gadwall,pintail,wegion, etc. as of right now i have 2 pens and the mallards are mudding up the whole pen, filling my ponds in wuth mud. any ideas on concreting the pens?

Oh those r ornamental breeds ( at least people call them that) u need an aviary, it's how to raise them in the best quality and how they stay the most healthy