Finally building covered duck run! Substrate? Suggestions?

[Weeg]

An occasional reading or pitchforking certainly is helpful to stir the bedding. You'll keep adding bedding too. A flake of straw, bag of clipping from the mower or several handfuls of leaves - it all works. A little bit of extra bedding once a week helps to keep the top of the bedding fresh. I intend to muck out in Fall just in the future. I'll be mucking out this Spring though because I have quite a thick layer of material in the run at the moment.

Awesome! I'll plan on making the door large enough to get the tractor bucket in then. That will make it a thousand times easier. I'm starting to regret that not having that option with the bantam run. I'm using a similar method with straw, and will have to muck out in the Spring.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I forgot to add that the soil underneath will be great for gardening and planting if you are mucking in the spring.

I asked for a large door and it works well for getting my garden wagon and wheelbarrow in and out.

 

[Weeg]

Got a quote for the supplies today! Hopefully we'll be able to pick everything up soon.

 

[Weeg]

Reviewing the plan for the run/coop. We do want to make to mobile, and as similar to my Fluffy Butt Hut tractor as possible. To make it easier to move, the idea was brought to the table to build two more of the same Fluffy Butt Hut tractors, but make it so you could back them up right next to each other. Wether we plan on doing it back to front or side to side I'm not sure, but we'll see. We'd have a door that lined up on both sides, then use cinch down straps to attach the coops together. This would give them for room since each would be 12x8, and make it much easier to move seasonally. This may be helpful for winter/summer, especially if it gets as hot as it did last year. I could move them into deep shade, and into a better draining area as necessary.
Do you think this idea would work? I don't have a drawing yet, but assuming the tractors will attach from length wise. Thanks for the input!

 

[BReeder!]

Reviewing the plan for the run/coop. We do want to make to mobile, and as similar to my Fluffy Butt Hut tractor as possible. To make it easier to move, the idea was brought to the table to build two more of the same Fluffy Butt Hut tractors, but make it so you could back them up right next to each other. Wether we plan on doing it back to front or side to side I'm not sure, but we'll see. We'd have a door that lined up on both sides, then use cinch down straps to attach the coops together. This would give them for room since each would be 12x8, and make it much easier to move seasonally. This may be helpful for winter/summer, especially if it gets as hot as it did last year. I could move them into deep shade, and into a better draining area as necessary.
Do you think this idea would work? I don't have a drawing yet, but assuming the tractors will attach from length wise. Thanks for the input!

It makes sense. I think it throws substrate concerns out the window though. Just make sure you move them onto fresh grass as often as possible (every couple weeks) and ensure water flows away from the tractors - while ducks love water they need dry ground to access. Water would be another concern for ducks in a tractor. Are you planning on keeping a kiddie pool in the tractor? Will the ducks be able to get in and out of a pool inside the tractor?

 

[Weeg]

It makes sense. I think it throws substrate concerns out the window though. Just make sure you move them onto fresh grass as often as possible (every couple weeks) and ensure water flows away from the tractors - while ducks love water they need dry ground to access. Water would be another concern for ducks in a tractor. Are you planning on keeping a kiddie pool in the tractor? Will the ducks be able to get in and out of a pool inside the tractor?

Yes, I was thinking the same about the subtrate. I probably wont move it in the winter, so could do a "deep litter method" style setup until spring. Thats what I'm doing with the bantam tractor currently.
I do not plan on having the pool in the tractor. I hate it in the current run, so I think I'll just leave it where it is, because a "pond" obviously isn't mobile anyway.
Our current water setup is a hole we dug in the stationary run, which is constantly fed by water from our spring. We dug a trough leading from the pond into the woods, so new water is constantly filtering through, dirty water out. Works pretty well though I'd like to line it with something to make it deeper. I'll probably keep it where it is, plant grass around it and let them use it when they can free range. It will also allow me to restrict access to it in the winter easier, which I've never been able to do before.
I'll just give them a big 5 gallon bucket for head dunking, or something similar.