duck poop odors

[vlapinta]

Duckluck do you think the Brower waterer #65 would work when the calls are older? I am going to order that, but if I need something for when they are older I would order that at the same time.

Vicki

 

[Hattiegun]

well , I have TEN babies in my house !! not planned... I have beach towels down and puppy pads...
I have 6 little ones in a small spare bedroom with a heat lamp and alittle room to run around. THe 4 -
four week old ones get the run of the hallway and kitchen... I put a lrg puppy pad under food /water
which helps soak up the water for easier clean up... I pick it all up in mornings, throw towels in washer
and I work all day and come home pick it all up again (doesnt take long at all) vacum real quick, a shot
of Lysol spray , lay down clean.... My house is very small and does NOT smell... I am going to start putting
down woodchips on the porch for the bigger ones (til my duck pen is done).. but they love to have room
to RUN around... I left them in a brooder type tub for like 2 days... couldnt stand watching them with no
room to play...lol..... I just keep telling myself its only for such a short time and they are bonding with me
alot better... (Oh and my family says Im anul retentive when it comes to my clean house ) Im on phooo
detail for about another month...their cuteness is worth it...lol....

 

[katharinad]

The odor is caused by the bacteria in their poo. They basically decompose the poo and released ammonia (in the liquid). That is the bad smell and it will only make you sick in very large quantities. I doubt that your ducks can produce enough to make you sick. I think you worry about bacteria getting released into the air and getting into your lungs. Not an issue at all, since you don't let it dry to the point that wind could pick up dust particles. So what you really need is something that neutralizes the ammonia. Carbon is one thing, but quite messy. Another thing you can get it those dog training pads from Walmart or your pet store. They are layers of absorbent material and contain ammonia neutralizers within. Works wonder with dog pee! LOL You can also get a carpet cleaning spray to neutralize pet stains. Simply spray that onto newspaper and cover with one layer of paper towels. That way you don't have to worry that your ducks ingest it, but I think it says pet save on the bottle. The next step is wood shaving (do not get cedar which can be toxic) because they also absorb it. The other key is to keep everything dry, and we have seen plenty of tips here. I use a cookie sheet for the feeder/water station. That one is messy no matter what.
Katharina

 

[katharinad]

Quote:
Check out moving companies, especially those that do military moves. Very often they get things delivered in smaller crates. They never reuse those crates and basically send them off into the dumpster. The military and state department require the use of brand new crates for each move. I've worked for two moving companies and know the deal. As you guest it at this point they have to pay for trash removal, and are quite happy to part with any crate. You may have to smoothen the edges from opening the crate, but you can find a nice one for you duckies. I currently have one that is 4x4 feet big, and you can find bigger ones. I think the max size for international moving crates is 4x8 feet, but kind of hard to transport. So think out of the box.
Katharina