Ducks drinking overnight; water party overnight!

[Yorkshireduck]

Hi all,
Can anyone advise me on keeping my duck house dry...
My two ducks put themselves in their hut around 4pm, as it gets dusky, and are locked in by 6pm; we don’t get them out until 9.30am so have to have a water drinker in with them. Lately they’ve been throwing water around and soaking their bedding.

My Drake isn’t keen on the cold starts in the morning so wet bedding won’t be helping. They do seem to keep a small area dry - which I think is where they sleep- and the duck is still laying so she must be happy with the situation!

Has anyone got any ideas as to how we can keep them able to drink but not able to soak every where!

Thank you!

 

[rjohns39]

Mine are on a similar schedule and I don't put water in their shelter.

 

[GeoGreyWolf]

I have recently stopped putting food and water in their house at night due to the flies have been crazy in the house from moisture and food.

 

[Yorkshireduck]

Rjohns39 - do yours have access to outside over night? Mine are literally in a hit with their bedding.

I feel dreadful leaving them without water for such a long period of time; especially as they root in the straw.

I’m wondering if they would be ok if I took the water out at 8pm or so; but that’s still 14 hours without water!

 

[CntryBoy777]

There are a few things to think about....if they have food available they must have water....and if your flooring is dirt they will bill overnite in it and will need water. They are water fowl and in being so, water is a major part of their life. What I'd do is to put a platform inside that they can get on to avoid any soaked bedding. Something like a couple of pcs of 2"x4" with a piece of plywood nailed or screwed across them.....or put their waterer on a piece of hardware cloth on top of a deep pan of sort....this would allow the water to be caught some and keep the bedding a bit drier. Ducks can see in the dark and are active during periods of the night.....being cooped up for long periods of time doesn't stop their need of food or water. The only reason to take food and water from them is for human convience not theirs.....

 

[rjohns39]

Mine do not have access to the outside overnight.

 

[onaharley]

To help with the water issue I use a large tote place on its side with a little tilt to it. I place the bowl in the tote and any water that they splash out runs to the back of the tote. Black tote with black water bucket inside is hard to see but it give you an Idea....

 

[Michael P]

If the floor of the duck house is soil, dig a dry well and put the waterer on top of that. A dry well is a pit filled with gravel that collects spilled water and allows it to soak into the soil, away from those busy duck bills.

 

[sourland]

Mine are on a similar schedule and I don't put water in their shelter.

X 2

 

[chickens really]

Lock them in a bit later at night and let them out earlier in the morning...I do not provide feed and water in the shed...Mine do great..