ducks on paving slabs?

[688peterl]

i think your all a little confused about what im trying to say, that picture is not my garden, i got it from google so you could see what the paving in my garden is like, my garden is 100% paving and nothing else, im building a duck run with a wooden floor that will be covered in shavings, and im gonna buy them a big paddling pool, but the rest of the surface they will be stood on is slab paving, i am putting the run on slab paving but with a floor like i said, you all seem to think im sticking them on slab paving so it will be easier for me to clean

, i did say at the start that the run would have a floor

 

[Duck_feeder]

Ducks evolved to walk primarily on soft ground (muddy ground, grassy areas, etc) and occasionally on hard ground (rocks). You're putting them in an environment where all the surfaces are much harder than they are evolved to handle. A wooden floor with shavings is still a very hard surface and the shavings can still scratch up the ducks feet. You'll want to look into softer bedding if you aren't giving the ducks access to soft ground.

Want a good idea on what is okay for a duck's feet? Walk around barefoot on the surface you want them walking on. Drag your feet around when you walk and make sure you sprint across the surface several times. Do that for about a couple hours without sitting down and see how your feet are feeling. When you're done with the test and are busy pulling out splinters and massaging your feet to reduce the swelling, imagine how you'd feel if you had to live like that for the rest of your life.

Let's not forget how hot stone gets in the summer. Do you really expect ducks to walk on ground that's hot enough to fry an egg? The paving slabs will be pretty much off-limits for the ducks during the warmer months...

 

[688peterl]

Quote:
so what am i supposed to do then genius?

 

[DuckMamaorBust]

Quote:
Take it easy. Everyone on here is trying to help. I know these aren't the answers you wanted to hear but they are truthful. If you want to keep getting great feedback you have to be willing to hear the good and the bad. You obviously love your ducks and there IS a solution. We just need to find what that solution is going to be. You aren't the first person to solve this problem.

What about using something else other than saw dust or chips in the run?

How about a deep layer of sand?
or ergonomic pads for work stations (you know the ones cashiers stand on when at a register all day?)

Since you are in the UK you'll have to help us out on what is readily available in your area.
What do dog boarding kennels use? If they have concrete runs for dogs they may line them with something so the dogs aren't on concrete all day.
Take a walk through a pet supply store, then a home improvement store, and anywhere you can think of to get ideas.

How are others dealing with tired feet and hard surfaces.

Keep in mind a solution DOES exist. We just have to find it. When you begin from there it helps brainstorming other ideas.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
I dont see what the problem is...give them a pool to swim in...keep the paving stones VERY clean...and i dont think you'll have a problem.
Ducks dont HAVE to walk on grass...

As long as they have a plenty big enough run and pool to swim in..i dont see a problem.

Maybe i'm not understanding what you are saying though..

Good luck! And enjoy the ducks!
Also..paving stones would be SOOO easy to keep clean! Just a daily hose down...

I re-read your post again..
i'd rather keep them on the paving stones then shavings ALL the time...
but...i think that if you did BOTH..it would be a good combo....so they can get off of the shavings sometimes and also get off the paving stones on to the softer shavings...
be warned though....you are going to have a filthy mess EVERY day with their run being ALL shavings... i think the pavers would be MUCH cleaner and easier to keep clean. just my opinion though.. but..they do need a soft place to walk also...

 

[nettie]

Quote:
my indoor ducks live in a pen that has soft bedding a few inches thick that cleaned very frequently. When not in their pen, like when they are downstairs in my frontroom, they have their own fenced off playpen area that has several rugs and two bed beds, and pillows, etc. their rug is over 2 inches of thick fluffy material. so they are not running around on grass, but they still live on a squishy surface.

Not to mention, how do you clean paving stones if there is no ground? You can spray the poop away, but where does it go if there is no dirt/ground to absorb it? you'd just make it watery and push it to one corner.

I also think we are confused due to slang/language variations. For most of us american folk, when we hear the word garden, we think of soil, mulch, plants, compost, etc.... not paving stones (unless they are there for ornamental purposes). I think in england, garden is a term more loosely used to describe a basic backyard, not necessarily what is in it.


Ducks are not meant to live on hard ground. You can find solutions, but they may be messy... i had a few more suggestions for you once i read that your yard is all paving stones but... there is no need to be jerky or mean to people in the forum who are trying to help. To be frank (and forgive me if it sounds rude) but this is something that could've have been thought of and researched before you ever even got eggs to hatch. That behavior might discourage people from answering you when you have questions. We are trying to prevent you from having serious foot issues, because i know you'll be very upset if you do. i've dealt with those foot issues, and it's not in any way pleasant. my duck first got bumblefoot from being in her pen most of the day, on shavings... she was there nearly all day while i was recovering form surgery and my roommate at the time did not do a good job of cleaning out her shavings and letting her out... she got scratches on her feet and got bumblefoot from the poop. she nearly died. Her and my other duck are like my babies and i was devastated... i know your runners are very precious to you since they were the only ones to hatch. i know you'd hate to see them get bumblefoot.

And the biggest problem with bumblefoot is that they hide it for as long as possible, and it can go systemic very easy at that point. it's very hard to catch before it gets into their bones, just by symptoms. My duck wasn't eating and had to be force fed/forced her medicine. it was the most miserable 4 weeks on her life. and at the same time i was recovering from m major surgery, so it was very very difficult.

You are probably going to have to build an enclosure with a coop with softer bedding. something like wood pellets sprayed with some water so they expand to saw dust (make sure you make it as tall as you, trust me, it'll be easier to clean if you can get in it). you'll probably have to build some sort of floor for your run, and use a material like soil or sand on the bottom. you might have to make some sort of drain holes in the floor and still spray your paving stones to keep them clean from anything running through the holes to elsewhere in the yard. maybe think of it as like a really big shallow planter, and you're growing ducks. just add new soil as needed to the run or maybe use a product like stall dry to keep it from getting gross...

the other solution is to make them indoor pets, build them a coop/run indoors and use a soft bedding (or maybe just build them a little shed outside that has a roof and a floor for you to build a pen into). you can section part of the yard off with the paddling pool they can retreat to daily for fun. Take them on walks with leashes around the neighborhood so they can forage (you might want to do this anyways, foraging is a runner's life... i get flower boxes and grown plants, and take the ducks on walks so they can get in their foraging.) I make harnesses and leashes special for ducks, or i can at least tell you the best kind of alternate animal harness/leash to use.

 

[Duck_feeder]

Quote:
so what am i supposed to do then genius?

Not sure where the attitude is coming from, but I'll just assume that you interpreted my semi-socratic and tongue-in-cheek style of explanation to be abrasive. I assure you that I'm not trying to be insulting - when I'm verbally chastising someone, it will be obvious by my inclusion of derisive epithets not germane to the topic at hand.

I thought I made it perfectly clear what you should do (see bolded sentence above).

Perhaps you did not understand what I meant by "bedding". I'm referring to the material you plan to cover the floor on your run with. Wood shavings are not a good choice in your situation. I have no idea what is available to you which is why I did not give you a list of items. A quick and simple search on these forums yields plenty of options including wood pellets, straw, sand, diatomaceous earth (DE), and Stall Dry (DE mixed with clay).

 

[patandchickens]

Have you considered removing the pavers from the duck area, or bedding them quite deeply with straw (only if you know someone who will regularly come and take the used stuff away for composting, though, as you will run through a lot of it)


Pat

 

[688peterl]

il take a pic of the garden and the run tommorow so its easier to understand

 

[688peterl]

sorry for the attitude