Ground cover in duck pen

[sadies chicks]

What does everyone have as ground cover in their duck pen? Currently I have dirt.... aka MUD..... and am thinking of going to pea gravel. What is the best for ducks and their feet? I need something that drains since I am in Oregon and it rains and rains and rains. I can't get the ducks in a dry enough area and am thinking if at least the ground is dry-ish it would be beneficial. The ducks are constantly dirty and I want them to be able to clean off.

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

I use pea gravel, it drains fairly fast and my ducks don't make mud holes like they would in dirt if it does get wet. I am really pleased with the odorless, easy clean up, and they are very, very tidy! Make sure to give them a shady area if pea gravel is all they have; the summer heat may make it unpleasent to waddle on.

 

[DuckWhisperer]

What size are the gravel pieces? They don't try to eat it?

 

[Luvmyducks]

Does pea gravel keep the flies down as well? We have grass and mud right now. I try and keep it as dry as possible with ducks but the flies are terrible right now.

 

[sadies chicks]

Ok great, I will try the pea gravel, thanks! I may work with it a bit to see what works best, I am thinking of pea gravel in the pool/food area and pine shavings or just plain dirt in their sleeping area so they have a soft place too. Half of thier pen is covered so no worries on the shade (as if I need to worry about it right now....cloudy and rainy....)

thanks!!

 

[louieloui]

Quote:
I read on BYC that using the tree shaped, vanilla scented (HAS to be VANILLA) car air fresheners work great for keeping flies away. I was skeptical, but tried it in my coop and run and it works like a charm! I haven't tried it in our duck pen, mainly because our ducks (before we rehomed them) were free-ranging at that time, so flies weren't a problem. Given how cheap they are, it's worth a shot!

Oh and I found them at Wal-Mart, although I'm sure they have them elsewhere.

 

[Kmoreau]

I started with a good playsand base and made the ground level. The sand allowed for great drainage, then I applied straw/hay on top. It's easy to keep clean, I just rake it out once a week. My ducks are free range in my backyard and only go in there to eat or sleep so it stays pretty clean. In the winter, I only change it once a month but apply new hay ontop twice a week. Old hay provides alot of warmth. It's easy to keep clean and pretty care free. Also the ducks don't try to eat it.