General coop cleaning and duck questions

[katiebrock]

I would not put fresh clippings inside the coop. That would be better suited to an outdoor run area where there is free ventilation and it can either break down and rot or dry out in the open.

Any weeds or garden trimmings I have go in the run area. They eat what they want, usually skeletonizing the plant by eating the softer green leaves and leaving the stems, and the rest of it eventually dries out and becomes part of the "brown" matter in their run.
We threw the grass clippings in there a bit but had to do a weed treatment in the early summer and after that just threw the clippings in the trash. Herbicides can not only make your ducks sick but can pass through their waste. And since I use their waste on my veggie garden, that's a bad idea.

Okay, that makes sense. I have just put the clippings in the outdoor part that is attached to their house with hardware cloth over it. I had a bale of straw, but for some reason my husband thought it would be okay to move it out from under the shed, so it has been rained on now. I think I am going to move to pine shavings.

 

[Beaglegal]

So I can't speak to all your questions. But maybe I can help a little. And your mileage may vary a little.... I'm in the PNW but on the dry side, so in general my area has an easier time of staying dry due to very little rain and low humidity. I wanted to do deep litter also, but ended up doing kind of a hybrid so that I don't have to constantly clean it out. I have lower back issues and can't deal with that kind of constant maintenance. I have 5 ducks so the amount of waste is similar to yours.

I don't actually have dirt in the coop, just straw. And there is a mix of shavings and straw in the nest boxes. I buy a product called Sweet PDZ, which is mainly to keep horse stalls fresh, but can be used for all animals. It is totally nontoxic and will not hurt your birds if they ingest it. So to start, on my bare floor (plastic), I sprinkled a nice layer of it. It's like dust. If you've ever used diatomaceous earth, it's kind of the same consistency. I sprinkled about 1/8" on the entire floor, then put a layer of straw. The PDZ seems to keep everything super dry with minimal smells. I keep a metal rake inside the coop for daily "stirring." Every few days you can use your rake to mix the poo on top with the straw, also exposing it more to the PDZ which dries it out. On about a weekly or less basic I sprinkle more straw from a bale. I occasionally will sprinkle more PDZ on top, too, if it seems a little wet. Once you have a really thick layer of straw in there, I've found that I just need to keep it turned/stirred with the rake with occasional treatment of PDZ. I got my ducks in March and have only totally cleaned out the coop once, and to be honest it was not necessary. I did it because I needed the poopy straw to use as mulch on my veggie garden (this is a GREAT use for your straw). I could probably get away with an annual clean out but will probably end up doing it twice a year because I need the straw for the garden.

Hope this helps!

Does this sweet PZD impact your ability to use the coop bedding as compost? Is it vegetable safe?

 

[MerryMeridional]

Okay, that makes sense. I have just put the clippings in the outdoor part that is attached to their house with hardware cloth over it. I had a bale of straw, but for some reason my husband thought it would be okay to move it out from under the shed, so it has been rained on now. I think I am going to move to pine shavings.

The key is that you want dry stuff in the coop. The dry stuff being some sort of clean brown matter -- straw, hay, wood shavings of some kind. I would think grass clippings would be ok if you could fully dry it out first. I think I read someone used dried hemp in the coop, which is expensive, unless you have some special way to get it or grow it. You want the coop to be dry, with good ventilation, to prevent mold and respiratory issues in your birds. Ducks are hardier than chickens and you can err on the side of more open, in fact, it is preferred. Mine would prefer to sleep outside in their run but I put them away at night to protect them from predators.

If your straw has become wet I'd just use that in their run and find some new dry stuff for the coop

 

[MerryMeridional]

Does this sweet PZD impact your ability to use the coop bedding as compost? Is it vegetable safe?

Nope, it is garden safe, too. It's actually a pulverized volcanic rock, zeolite I believe. It can be used in and on the garden, it composts, the birds can even use it a little as grit if they eat it. It dries up wetness around itself and absorbs smells. If I had a cat, I'd use that stuff in their litter box. It's also pretty cheap, I got a 40lb sack for about $17 when I first got the ducks and am not done with the sack yet. Any tractor or farm supply should carry it.

It sounds too good to be true, but sweet PDZ really is miraculous in how effective and safe it is.

Here's a link that explains what it is in a little more depth: https://lucernefarms.com/what-is-pdz/

 

[Beaglegal]

Nope, it is garden safe, too. It's actually a pulverized volcanic rock, zeolite I believe. It can be used in and on the garden, it composts, the birds can even use it a little as grit if they eat it. It dries up wetness around itself and absorbs smells. If I had a cat, I'd use that stuff in their litter box. It's also pretty cheap, I got a 40lb sack for about $17 when I first got the ducks and am not done with the sack yet. Any tractor or farm supply should carry it.

It sounds too good to be true, but sweet PDZ really is miraculous in how effective and safe it is.

Here's a link that explains what it is in a little more depth: https://lucernefarms.com/what-is-pdz/

If it is crushed up volcanic rock, I bet it has some great trace minerals which could be good for the vegetables. Thanks, perhaps they should give you commission!

 

[MerryMeridional]

If it is crushed up volcanic rock, I bet it has some great trace minerals which could be good for the vegetables. Thanks, perhaps they should give you commission!

Hehe. I'm all about finding out what works and then spreading the word.

I actually use stall refresher brand from a local farm supply and there are several brands on the market. It's all the same stuff. Like different brands of baking soda. Same substance, different label.

 

[CoriM]

So I can't speak to all your questions. But maybe I can help a little. And your mileage may vary a little.... I'm in the PNW but on the dry side, so in general my area has an easier time of staying dry due to very little rain and low humidity. I wanted to do deep litter also, but ended up doing kind of a hybrid so that I don't have to constantly clean it out. I have lower back issues and can't deal with that kind of constant maintenance. I have 5 ducks so the amount of waste is similar to yours.

I don't actually have dirt in the coop, just straw. And there is a mix of shavings and straw in the nest boxes. I buy a product called Sweet PDZ, which is mainly to keep horse stalls fresh, but can be used for all animals. It is totally nontoxic and will not hurt your birds if they ingest it. So to start, on my bare floor (plastic), I sprinkled a nice layer of it. It's like dust. If you've ever used diatomaceous earth, it's kind of the same consistency. I sprinkled about 1/8" on the entire floor, then put a layer of straw. The PDZ seems to keep everything super dry with minimal smells. I keep a metal rake inside the coop for daily "stirring." Every few days you can use your rake to mix the poo on top with the straw, also exposing it more to the PDZ which dries it out. On about a weekly or less basic I sprinkle more straw from a bale. I occasionally will sprinkle more PDZ on top, too, if it seems a little wet. Once you have a really thick layer of straw in there, I've found that I just need to keep it turned/stirred with the rake with occasional treatment of PDZ. I got my ducks in March and have only totally cleaned out the coop once, and to be honest it was not necessary. I did it because I needed the poopy straw to use as mulch on my veggie garden (this is a GREAT use for your straw). I could probably get away with an annual clean out but will probably end up doing it twice a year because I need the straw for the garden.

Hope this helps!

Can I ask you about what you meant about your floor being plastic - what kind and how does that help you? I just ask because my base flooring is dirt. I put the straw on top and it's all so damp right now, and I'm wondering if it's because it's the wet is coming up from the ground. Is it okay if they're walking around on damp straw all day? I keep throwing dry straw on the areas in the run where they lay on the most but it feels like a losing battle - I'm going through straw so fast!

 

[MerryMeridional]

Can I ask you about what you meant about your floor being plastic - what kind and how does that help you? I just ask because my base flooring is dirt. I put the straw on top and it's all so damp right now, and I'm wondering if it's because it's the wet is coming up from the ground. Is it okay if they're walking around on damp straw all day? I keep throwing dry straw on the areas in the run where they lay on the most but it feels like a losing battle - I'm going through straw so fast!

My coop is an old repurposed kid's playhouse. I think it's a prefab building that was dropped on a set of railroad ties to keep it level. I did a ton of modifications to make it coop worthy and predator safe. Your question was about the floors so I'll focus on that part of it.

The floors were made with some kind of cheap plywood that was disintegrating especially at the doorway. I sawed out the rotten part and repaired it with an additional piece of heavier outdoor plywood. To keep the floors dry and to prevent further rot, I used heavy visqueen plastic to create a moisture barrier. I keep a large roll of 5mil visqueen on hand for gardening projects. The coop is about 8x10' and I rolled out enough to go up the walls at least 2'. 2.5 - 3' would have been even better since with the addition of straw you lose a couple inches. Ducks are creative in how and where they poop, walls included.

Now, due to the width of the roll of plastic, I had to overlap it in the middle and roll it out twice to cover all the floors and walls. I went to home depot and found a roll of heavy outdoor waterproof tape that would withstand any possible moisture that made it down through the straw to the plastic level. I'm not sure the exact brand I bought but it was a heavy blue tape, I think advertised to be waterproof and withstand rain and snow. It was expensive (I think maybe about $9) for the roll but at this rate I will never run out since I have not had to replace the plastic on the floors yet. I used the tape to connect the two pieces of plastic along the middle, creating a seam, and also taped the tops of the plastic on the walls. I taped the heck out of it. I did this in 3/2019 and it is still holding up. I use straw and sweet PDZ on the floors to take care of any "added" moisture by the ducks.

I would think that you could benefit from a moisture barrier. You really need their coop (where they sleep) to be dry. You are fighting a never ending battle with moisture coming up from the ground! In your current situation you will need to clean out and replace the straw pretty frequently.

 

[CoriM]

@MerryM: Thanks for the explanation. I have a covered, enclosed run, which is the part that is getting damp. I just pulled out the straw around my pond and put in sand, since it was impossible to keep the straw out of the water. The rest of the run is straw, and that's the part that does get damp, and I'm wondering if it's okay. I add a bit of fresh straw every day on the wettest parts and try to scoop out the really wet stuff once a week. I've now moved their water dish to the sand, so I'm hoping this helps, because they do like to stand on the edge and spill it now and then. Attached to the run is the "coop", which does have a plywood floor, covered with linoleum tiles. I have no water in this area, and so it stays pretty dry, except for the poop. I like your idea of the plastic though, which would be easier to hose off. I definitely need to add more tile going up the walls - they are a mess!

 

[MerryMeridional]

@MerryM: Thanks for the explanation. I have a covered, enclosed run, which is the part that is getting damp. I just pulled out the straw around my pond and put in sand, since it was impossible to keep the straw out of the water. The rest of the run is straw, and that's the part that does get damp, and I'm wondering if it's okay. I add a bit of fresh straw every day on the wettest parts and try to scoop out the really wet stuff once a week. I've now moved their water dish to the sand, so I'm hoping this helps, because they do like to stand on the edge and spill it now and then. Attached to the run is the "coop", which does have a plywood floor, covered with linoleum tiles. I have no water in this area, and so it stays pretty dry, except for the poop. I like your idea of the plastic though, which would be easier to hose off. I definitely need to add more tile going up the walls - they are a mess!

Dryer is always better but I would think you're generally ok to have moisture in their run. After all, they are waterfowl. As long as the area is generally clean and they have a chance to dry out (like in the coop) you should be fine. Bumblefoot is likely when the area is not clean and they get a cut on their foot causing a foot infection. A lot of people use sand in the run since it drains freely and is easier to keep mostly dry, plus they can hose it off and drain away waste for easy cleaning. If it were building a coop and run from scratch, I would use a gravel base with sand on top. My run area is next to my garden and I just added a fence made of vinyl coated garden fencing and PVC hoops to pop up a net for hawk protection. The ground is mostly the way I found it, black landscaping fabric with dirt on top, and pine bark mulch on top of that. I've been adding weeds for them to eat and there is quite a bit of vegetation that has dried out and formed brown material on the ground. Now that it is getting cold and less moisture is evaporating it has been wetter in their run. So I'll need to do some modifications. I'll probably be adding sand but I'll have to think on the design a bit before I commit to purchasing materials.