Few Newbie Questions

[Bridgertrot]

We found out a little while back that a third neighbor is now homeless as well...and once again even closer. And also a fourth. There are two others we still don't know about but reports are that 50% of our neighborhood is gone. One neighbor has reports that there house is still standing but we take everything with a grain of salt. Some houses have been saved multiple times only to be lost eventually. We heard today through the "grapevine" that both of our houses are completely gone. It's not completely reliable though. Same grapevine told one lady her place was gone but another said it was still there. We have been going to community meetings twice daily and each time it's "next meeting" or "tomorrow we'll have info on your houses". So far nothing and we're tired of being strung along. We believe they're gone...we just want it confirmed. We're hoping that tomorrow will be the day we find out finally. Been told it looks like WW3 up there...which is very depressing because I was noticing how beautiful and green it was when I was evacuating...but I guess not green enough. Looking at the map there is an extreme hot spot right next to our house which sucks. I'm ready to start cleaning, searching and to move on.

 

[cskotek]

Do alot of people where you live have insurance on things like this? And I seen on tv that place are expirencing the jumping flames so some houses where spared. And a guy hiked the 4 miles to his house to see if it was still there luckily it was. Id just go look if it was me, id want to know now not later. How far/close is it to or pasted your house? I seen that its moving beyond fast...

 

[Bridgertrot]

We are pretty much dead center of the burn area. Yes we do have insurance. This fire is what they call a dirty fire. It has actually come back into areas already burned. They've saved some houses more than once only to come back again and find it gone. Our place is much further than 4 miles away. It's impossible for us to see it at this time because the fire is still extremely dangerous around our place and the terrain is extremely rough. Believe me, it's killing us not knowing.

 

[Diamond88]

Bridgertrot, I'm so sorry to hear about your situation! I'm hoping for the best for you and your house. But, I have to say, I'm so happy to hear that you brought the ducks with you! Too many people in this world would have left them behind to fend for themselves. You're a good duck parent and your ducks are lucky to have you. All the best to you!

 

[Bridgertrot]

Thank you so much! I couldn't of lived with myself if I had left them behind. They are still doing well and are growing like weeds! I swear they grow and inch a day lol We decided to name them Nut and Bolt. We are into trucks and also Bolt is the one that likes to run from us and Nut is the chill/brave one but is kind of a nut about things lol They are just so funny. I was cleaning their cage yesterday and they decided to make a game out of it. I left them inside of it while I was cleaning. For some reason they are terrified of my hand when it's filled with wood shavings. I'd grab a handful and put it in and they'd be at the back of the cage. I'd turn around to grab more then they both would come running to the front of the cage. Then when I got more they'd run to the back. Nut though it was fun to run standing straight up with his little wings sticking out and flapping. It was hilarious. Here's another picture of them and their duck dad.



We are still evacuated and it's been six days. We still don't know anything. They really need to start getting answers because everyone at the meetings are really on edge and irritated. They said this fire may even burn for a few months. :\ We've been told 50% of our neighborhood is gone and it's still burning hard in there.

 

[Bridgertrot]

I do have another question now though. The coop that they will eventually go in is probably like 8x8 ft. It's pretty big. I'm trying to figure out what the best bedding would be to keep it cozy and clean. And of course how much to use. The floor is all concrete. I was thinking about continuing to use wood shavings but I'd probably need at least two bags to get a decent layer going. I've herd of the deep litter method. How does that work exactly? I'm kind of clueless on what I should go with lol

 

[Amiga]

I use a variant of deep litter. A foot and a half of shavings, with a few inches of straw on top. The straw gets changed out every couple of days, and the shavings get stirred every day or every other day. The poops dry up quickly that way. I add some peat moss (a gallon buckets worth per bale of shavings, more or less) to prevent ammonia formation (lower pH generally means less likelihood of ammonia forming).

The food and water are not in the house, but in the attached veranda, which has a hardware cloth bottom, a couple of inches of sand on that, and sawdust pellets over that. The pellets get fluffed with a cultivator every day, and they stay fresh smelling for up to two weeks or more, when I take out a few buckets of them and put in some fresh.

 

[sherrik9]

What are sawdust pellets? Love the peat moss idea, I'm sure it would help in the rainy NW.

 

[sherrik9]

Thank you so much! I couldn't of lived with myself if I had left them behind. They are still doing well and are growing like weeds! I swear they grow and inch a day lol We decided to name them Nut and Bolt. We are into trucks and also Bolt is the one that likes to run from us and Nut is the chill/brave one but is kind of a nut about things lol They are just so funny. I was cleaning their cage yesterday and they decided to make a game out of it. I left them inside of it while I was cleaning. For some reason they are terrified of my hand when it's filled with wood shavings. I'd grab a handful and put it in and they'd be at the back of the cage. I'd turn around to grab more then they both would come running to the front of the cage. Then when I got more they'd run to the back. Nut though it was fun to run standing straight up with his little wings sticking out and flapping. It was hilarious. Here's another picture of them and their duck dad.



We are still evacuated and it's been six days. We still don't know anything. They really need to start getting answers because everyone at the meetings are really on edge and irritated. They said this fire may even burn for a few months. :\ We've been told 50% of our neighborhood is gone and it's still burning hard in there.

Great picture. Hoping for the best for all of you

 

[Amiga]

What are sawdust pellets? Love the peat moss idea, I'm sure it would help in the rainy NW.

They are often used in horse stalls. They are compressed pine sawdust, and absorb quite a bit of moisture, becoming softer and falling apart into piles of regular sawdust as they soak up water. They eliminate standing water, pull water out of feces, and are fresh smelling (some are allergic to pine, so not for everyone).

By using the cultivator, that fluffs them, so the material stays aerated. Anaerobic (without air) processes create what is scientifically known as "bad stink." So, the fluffier the bedding, the less "bad stink." Also, as I mentioned, higher pH (lower acid) tends to produce ammonia. So with those two factoids I have been able to keep the duck area in pretty good shape.

There are days when it's been raining and damp for a while, and it is more challenging to keep everything aerobic and mopped up, and on those days I rake the wet stuff out, put it on the compost, and put some dry straw in. It gets wet quickly, but it takes longer for aromas to develop.

Oh, and I find that oak leaves are great around wet areas for reducing odor. Might be the tannins in the leaves.

@Bridgertrot,

So proud of you for taking the ducks!

You are in my prayers. Thanks for blessing us with a first person and first ducks account of the effect of these fires. Sometimes the authorities, the ones in charge, get overwhelmed in spite of their training and equipment. This has consequences on down the line, as you are seeing right now. I think we all here at the Duck Forum are grateful for you staying in touch. And perhaps those ducks are a kind of blessing for you, as, Lord willing, they will be with you as you step into the next phase of your lives.

Hope you'll keep posting about how things are going.