Ducks & Lavender

[Clousic Chicks]

Good Morning!
I just deadheaded my lavender and put the "harvest" in the duckhouse for the ducks to sleep on. Two questions:
1) Is it safe.
2) Will the ducks sleep on it?
They have been sleeping on straw. I clean their duckhouse daily but still the smell attracts flies. I thought the lavender would help with the smell and flies detest lavender.

Any thoughts? Thanks!!!

 

[chickens really]

I use pine shavings and only straw in the winter..Straw gets yucky too quickly. I don't think the lavender will hurt them..

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I put lavender, mint, and rosemary in my duck house (with their pine shavings) to repel flies. The girls will put the herbs in their nests. I sure haven’t had any problems with it.

 

[Raenh]

Lavender is soothing to ducks - they seem to calm down and like the smell. At least mine did, I'd put on lavender lotion before bed and they'd climb up and snuggle in. Fancy before he became my cuddlebug, would ignore the pillow ramp if I'd forget to put the lotion on, but if he smelt it, he'd clamor up and snuggle in when he thought I was sleeping.

 

[Clousic Chicks]

I put lavender, mint, and rosemary in my duck house (with their pine shavings) to repel flies. The girls will put the herbs in their nests. I sure haven’t had any problems with it.

Funny thing about the mint. I have mint growing outside the run in my garden. I have it everywhere because mice hate it. I find the ducks laying on the mint each late afternoon before I put them in the run. (it's my pre-bed ritual for them...in the garden around 7; in the run around 7:30; they're usually in bed by 8:15.)

 

[Clousic Chicks]

Thanks everyone! I found the lavender completely soothing to ME while I was cutting it down. I've never done that before in the many, many years of having lavender. A master gardener friend of mine suggested doing it. My husband actually asked if I was going to put it in the duck house! I'm waiting now to see how they like it. I do know one thing---the duck house smells the best ever!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Funny thing about the mint. I have mint growing outside the run in my garden. I have it everywhere because mice hate it. I find the ducks laying on the mint each late afternoon before I put them in the run. (it's my pre-bed ritual for them...in the garden around 7; in the run around 7:30; they're usually in bed by 8:30]!

If mice hate it then I need more mint!

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Funny thing about the mint. I have mint growing outside the run in my garden. I have it everywhere because mice hate it. I find the ducks laying on the mint each late afternoon before I put them in the run. (it's my pre-bed ritual for them...in the garden around 7; in the run around 7:30; they're usually in bed by 8:15.)

I put spearmint in my mice's tank to supposedly add a a fresh smell since they stink horribly bad, and they, too, didn't like it...they crushed it up and threw some of it in their water bowl.
I'm growing spearmint, lavender, and oregano for my chickens. I sprinkle the mint leaves around the run, but I'll be honest, I'm not so sure at all that it truly helps with the smell, and then I put lavender in their doghouse where they lay their eggs for that supposed 'soothing' effect (I still don't know how it calms others, because it doesn't me!), and they rearrange it neatly in the nest they make, surrounding the eggs.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Thanks everyone! I found the lavender completely soothing to ME while I was cutting it down. I've never done that before in the many, many years of having lavender. A master gardener friend of mine suggested doing it. My husband actually asked if I was going to put it in the duck house! I'm waiting now to see how they like it. I do know one thing---the duck house smells the best ever!

My chickens and ducks like to nibble at the lavender I have growing in the garden so there isn't enough left to use for their hutch, I'm thinking to buy some dried lavender to sprinkle in their hutch as I like the your idea - think I'll try the mint too - can imagine the two together would smell nice

 

[Aquachick]

I love this thread! Now I know what to do with all my lavender that I don't cut and use. Do you just use the head of the lavender and cut off the stems? I know what I am doing tomorrow after work.