Duck poop

[Ssutor]

Hi guys, we have recently added two ducks to our flock so now we have 4 indian runners. I am very ocd and find the ammount of poo overwhelming. Every evening i am hosing the garden, pool area and their pen down and spending around 30 mins on it. Is there any creative ideas/solutions you have for managing/breaking down the duck poo? I was thinking about investing in some sprinklers but not sure if that would make a difference

 

[Callender Girl]

With 10 runners, two geese and nearly 30 chickens, I have simply come to accept poo as a natural part of the environment. I wish I could tell you that I've found a good way to combat it, but I haven't.

For me, it's no worse (or better) than all the time I have to spend cleaning chicken poop out of the (too many) coops. My sister has quit asking me how I spent my afternoons; it's pretty much a given that it will involve a bucket and scoop.

 

[KaleIAm]

I find that having very large spaces helps. I never clean up poop except for inside the barn. Outside in the aviary it is grass and the space is big enough that it is never stinky and I can walk around barefoot without stepping in squishy poop messes (it has happened once or twice in over 6 years). It does rain here a lot, so that helps. There is still poop in our backyard/garden where they play and forage, but I never see it or smell it so I don't mind.

So... Acceptance and space.

 

[HeyHey]

I find that having very large spaces helps. I never clean up poop except for inside the barn. Outside in the aviary it is grass and the space is big enough that it is never stinky and I can walk around barefoot without stepping in squishy poop messes (it has happened once or twice in over 6 years). It does rain here a lot, so that helps. There is still poop in our backyard/garden where they play and forage, but I never see it or smell it so I don't mind.

So... Acceptance and space.

How much space do they have that it doesn't smell?

 

[KaleIAm]

How much space do they have that it doesn't smell?

Outside I have had up to 6 ducks in a 30x30 aviary with daily supervised foraging walks of 1-6 hours. Really, the long walks were only on the weekends.

Inside the barn they have a 10x10 room, but I spot clean that and change the bedding regularly. I also use sweet pdz inside and occasionally with 6 it was still a bit stinky inside. Now that I only have 2 it's never stinky inside.

 

[addctd2plnts]

I use a moveable walk in pen for the daytime, so it gets moved to a fresh spot daily. The water from that day in the pool gets dumped over the area they were just in. By 36 hours later, you can't see any poop, but you might see a little of the mud from the pool still on the grass. I think the duck poop has so much water in it that it breaks down very quickly. A sprinkler put on the area for an hour would speed the disappearance, and be a helpful tool to head of the OCD. But I wouldn't leave it long enough to create mud, if they can get to it, because we all know what happens when the ducks find mud and a wet spot LMBO

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

I have 4 ducks and a full time job with a long commute and I also really like to keep things clean. I have an indoor area (barn) and outdoor “duckio”. I use pine shavings and use straw for common bedding areas.

I have gotten to the point at which I have daily tasks (clean food and water bowls, clean common bedding areas, clean up around water sources), every couple of days tasks (swimming water <—- although this can be more or less frequently based on weather) , and weekend tasks (more thorough clean). I have an old wheelbarrow in which I toss the dirty bedding in during quick daily spot cleans. I empty it when full or during more thorough cleans. I place light weight rubber mats under perching areas that can easily be rinsed off.

I do my best, but have come to terms with things not always being spotless. To be honest, trying to keep an outdoor area decent in March or April (aka mud season) is impossible!