Feeding/watering solutions

[Plutopilot]

I am wondering people's solutions to messy food and water issues with their ducks. Currently, my ducks have a waterer and feeder mounted in the exterior of the coop, but they make a big mess of both which creates a stinky, fly swarming mess that smells like waste. They drag crumbs out onto the ground and they pile up and get wet.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Runners are slobs I love them to bits but that is just what they are. I bought those large plastic trays that go under washing machines To place under their feeders and put their water buckets a little distance from the feeders so they don’t muck their feed up so bad. Then in the evening I take the hose and wash everything down.

 

[Plutopilot]

My Runners are slobs I love them to bits but that is just what they are. I bought those large plastic trays that go under washing machines To place under their feeders and put their water buckets a little distance from the feeders so they don’t muck their feed up so bad. Then in the evening I take the hose and wash everything down.

Ok, that's the kind of answer I was expecting. Haha they are incredibly messy, but that's just how they roll.

 

[fatty and friends]

ducks are just messy lol there's nothing you can do. but the waterer you have is made for chickens and shouldn't be used for ducks, they should always have buckets that are deep enough to dunk their entire heads

 

[Plutopilot]

ducks are just messy lol there's nothing you can do. but the waterer you have is made for chickens and shouldn't be used for ducks, they should always have buckets that are deep enough to dunk their entire heads

Does it work for drinking if they have a pond to get their heads under?

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hey! A friend of mine when she feeds her ducks she splashes some water into their feed so they don't mess their main water source up, she only feeds what they'll eat at that time. She also has their feeder on pavers so it's easy to clean.

 

[fatty and friends]

we feed mazuri and it also helps with the mess! it floats on water so it doesn't get wet/gross, and their water stays clean

it's a little pricy but definitely worth it

 

[Yardmom]

My Runners are slobs I love them to bits but that is just what they are. I bought those large plastic trays that go under washing machines To place under their feeders and put their water buckets a little distance from the feeders so they don’t muck their feed up so bad. Then in the evening I take the hose and wash everything down.

Does it work for drinking if they have a pond to get their heads under?

It is fine to let the ducks drink from nipple waters as long as they have access to head dunking water daily. I sometimes use nipple waters in my night pen where there food is. My ducks also have access to the pond during the day.

 

[Tretinker]

This is our system although we are getting some stones this weekend to create a kind of drainage system under the waterer. The waterer has a ball valve so when they drink the water it refills from the water butt. There is a 'plug' underneath so we can unscrew it and drain the water and clean it out because yep runners are mingers

 

[Aunt Angus]

I don't have an issue during summer. My girls just have 2 gallon buckets for waterers that are washed and refilled every morning (sometimes again later, too). Their feed is just in a big chicken type feeder. All the splashes get absorbed into the litter. Easy peasy.

In the winter, though, it just adds to an already damp situation. I am planning on digging a fairly large area under their waterers and filling it with gravel. If it's really bad, I will probably try a plastic grate over a collection basin that will drain out of the run.