Duck Pen

[Ssutor]

Hi Everyone, our indian runners are now 6 months old and doing great. The garden at the moment is like a muddy swamp (england rainfall) and their pen has got a lot of poop on the ground and is smelling. What is the best thing to put down to keep it as fresh as possible?

 

[Henrietta 65]

Following this has same promblem due to all the bad weather in England lately and all the mess the ducks make

 

[3bird]

We decided to go with a covered run (after a bunch of research), and that really has made all the difference. In the run, we put down a layer of shavings except for around their water where we put down cobbles. That seems to work pretty well.

 

[Runner duck mom]

I suppose it depends on what your yard/ garden looks like. If there are low spots where there are puddles you could always fill them in with stone, round pebbles that won't hurt the ducks feet.
I've seen some people use straw or wood chips in their duck run. It would probably have to be shoveled out at some point but you could always add it to a compost bin.
We use wood mulch in our run and it works well but we are not as damp where we are in the US.

Your ducks are super cute, love runners!

 

[D0PEY]

This is by far one of the best investments I've made for my kids. I get a little ocd about dirt mess and puddles and prefer my kids to be spotless clean with little to no mud. I also give them lots of kisses, and being clean is a must lol. I recently purchased soft rubberized floor mat tiles that provides excellent traction and works extremely well for damp areas. I hose my kids quite frequently. The floor mats comes in an arrangement of colors and provides air flow beneath. Its relatively soft for their feet as I can go barefoot without any discomfort. The floor mats are quite flexible and can bend and shape to your liking, or you can even cut it to fit certain areas. Best of all its weatherproof, uv resistant, and easy to clean. I've used manna pro shavings in the past and stopped after the first use, it wasn't my thing. Its about $40 or so for 12 tiles which is not bad at all. I also threw foraging grass seeds clovers etc within the holes and soon I should have greens growing once more

 

[Ssutor]

This is by far one of the best investments I've made for my kids. I get a little ocd about dirt mess and puddles and prefer my kids to be spotless clean with little to no mud. I also give them lots of kisses, and being clean is a must lol. I recently purchased soft rubberized floor mat tiles that provides excellent traction and works extremely well for damp areas. I hose my kids quite frequently. The floor mats comes in an arrangement of colors and provides air flow beneath. Its relatively soft for their feet as I can go barefoot without any discomfort. The floor mats are quite flexible and can bend and shape to your liking, or you can even cut it to fit certain areas. Best of all its weatherproof, uv resistant, and easy to clean. I've used manna pro shavings in the past and stopped after the first use, it wasn't my thing. Its about $40 or so for 12 tiles which is not bad at all. I also threw foraging grass seeds clovers etc within the holes and soon I should have greens growing once more View attachment 2496881View attachment 2496886

Ooo this is interesting! Because the poo is underneath, do you still get the ammonia smell?

 

[D0PEY]

Ooo this is interesting! Because the poo is underneath, do you still get the ammonia smell?

As far as smell goes, I don't smell too much. When I clean the poo on top I give it just the right amount of water to where all of it minus the grit dissolves to liquid and gets absorbed into the dirt. The area will eventually dry by the next day when I clean their place. It dries much faster when the kids aren't stepping all over the place lol. With the seeds and grass, it also helps absorbs the water even quicker. I couldn't ask for any better fertilizer. I'm currently using 36 tiles, and will be getting more soon. It comes in black, blue, grey, green, red, white, yellow I used to have rocks beforehand with dirt, and I always thought it would feel uncomfortable for their webbed feet. Being a heavier breed of duck, I always make sure their feet are comfortable. I also give them each their waterproof foam kneeling pads inside their house to sleep on, and they loveeeeeee it

 

[Runner duck mom]

This is by far one of the best investments I've made for my kids. I get a little ocd about dirt mess and puddles and prefer my kids to be spotless clean with little to no mud. I also give them lots of kisses, and being clean is a must lol. I recently purchased soft rubberized floor mat tiles that provides excellent traction and works extremely well for damp areas. I hose my kids quite frequently. The floor mats comes in an arrangement of colors and provides air flow beneath. Its relatively soft for their feet as I can go barefoot without any discomfort. The floor mats are quite flexible and can bend and shape to your liking, or you can even cut it to fit certain areas. Best of all its weatherproof, uv resistant, and easy to clean. I've used manna pro shavings in the past and stopped after the first use, it wasn't my thing. Its about $40 or so for 12 tiles which is not bad at all. I also threw foraging grass seeds clovers etc within the holes and soon I should have greens growing once more View attachment 2496881View attachment 2496886

What a great idea! I really like that you put seed down in between, gives everything a chance to grow a bit before the ducks can reach it and they don't trample all over the seedlings.
Very cute and very clean ducks
Looks like you have the big cement mixing tub as a pool as well. They are awesome and very sturdy for holding water.

 

[Ssutor]

As far as smell goes, I don't smell too much. When I clean the poo on top I give it just the right amount of water to where all of it minus the grit dissolves to liquid and gets absorbed into the dirt. The area will eventually dry by the next day when I clean their place. It dries much faster when the kids aren't stepping all over the place lol. With the seeds and grass, it also helps absorbs the water even quicker. I couldn't ask for any better fertilizer. I'm currently using 36 tiles, and will be getting more soon. It comes in black, blue, grey, green, red, white, yellow I used to have rocks beforehand with dirt, and I always thought it would feel uncomfortable for their webbed feet. Being a heavier breed of duck, I always make sure their feet are comfortable. I also give them each their waterproof foam kneeling pads inside their house to sleep on, and they loveeeeeee it

That is brilliant thank you!

 

[Ssutor]

Could you please post the link of where you purchase the tiles so I can look to get something similar?