Help! Duck Waterers

[Scott]

There has to be some solution. I mean really, it cant be good for them... they are essentially drinking muddy water and the mud is coming from the same area they walk around in. I'm going to find a soultion. A rock/gravel bottom should help. In the wild, this wouldnt happen because they are drinking from large bodies of water. But it takes our domesticated ducks a matter of minutes to muddy up the water. The only other option I can think of is to keep them on wire, above ground. But I can't bring myself to do that. I think the gravel should work.

 

[rainplace]

I've watched my ducks eat poo right as it's coming out of another ducks butt. They don't seem any worse for wear.

An idea is to lay down the pea gravel and put a layer of sand on top. That way they can still drill and get their "grit," but you won't have such a mess.

 

[Brassmaster]

Quote:
Yes, a large body of water that fish, other waterfowl and who knows what all, use for their bathroom.

I use a plastic bucket for the duck waterer. It still gets muddy but because it is taller, the dirt has some ability to settle to the bottom and away from the part they are drinking. This also allows me to use the mud that settles to the bottom to refill the drill holes they make in the yard.

 

[Merissa]

I use a bathroom wastebasket. Something that is 12" or taller keeps more debris out than regular waterers. I use a waste basket because it's narrow and my duck isn't tempted to try crawling into it. I also give the chickens a separate hanging water. Since the duck prefers to dunk her head in the taller water, she leaves the chicken water alone (mostly). I still have to change the ducks water twice daily, but it definitely cuts down on the spillage.

I have been considering putting the wastebasket into another tall rubbermaid tub that is just bigger than the waste basket to catch the drips and reduce the mud. I got the idea from the goose mothers website:
http://www.thegoosesmother.com/id95.html

 

[DuckyBoys]

Quote:
I don't think that would work for call ducks, they would get in and then might get stuck. And especially for only 1.5 months, wait until they get their wing feathers to give them swmming water so at elast they can attempt to fly out if necessary.

 

[FenDruadin]

Mine forage in a large lake that is, yes, cleaner than their kiddie pool. However, they tend to float near the edges and dabble in the mud so that the water in their immediate vicinity is churned up and muddy.

I think, since they are eating the mud and the critters in the mud, that the mud probably does not hurt them. It's a human hang-up, I think, that worries about the water being clear.

Human, and goat--I tell you what, my goats are pickier than I am about water. If I'm not out there changing their water twice a day, they go on strike and won't drink. And they don't even get it very dirty. Good thing the ducks and the goats don't have to live together!

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

I have call ducks too...
So a few specific things I have noticed:

Once they are fully feathered and ready for their kiddie pool, make sure to make a ramp or stairs into and out of the pool. They are less agile than my old khakis were and you want them to be able to get out of the pool easily. I just use cement blocks, one in the pool and two, like stairs outside of it. I'd say they need a step for anything taller than 4-5" deep.
As for water in the house I use a regular chicken waterer, set on a brick inside of a cat litter tray. Just pour out the tray when you refill the waterer. There will be mucky water in the bottom, but not as much in the actual waterer so the chickens can drink from there. They ducks like to snorgle around in the mud, so I wouldn't worry about 1 days worth of muck in the water source. Just dump and rinse each day.
Sand would be fine for the run. Our soil is sand...that's what you get for living in the desert. It provides good drainage which prevents foot problems. Some folks don't even have water in the house, and they do fine w/o food and water overnight. Makes for less mess, but in my setup it just wouldn't work out.
Calls can be kept in breeding pens, but I just don't think it would make them as happy...
http://www.foleyswaterfowl.com/brooders and housing 028.JPG
http://www.faithvalleywaterfowl.com/housing_directions.html

 

[feedstorechick]

Scott, ducks will never be like chickens. I have three call ducks in a 4' x 8' pen. I used the suggestion from faith valley waterfowl's website and bought them a small mortar tub for bathing and drinking. It was about $7 at Home Depot. I dump it and refill it daily.

The pen is in a well drained area, but I move it every few weeks so they are always on fresh grass.

It's my understanding that ducks need enough water to dunk their entire face to keep their eyes and nostrils clean. They also need to get their feet wet to help prevent cracking.

Anytime you get tired of those messy ducks, box some up and send them to me! I love call ducks!

 

[Scott]

Quote:
Oh, don't get me wrong... I love them too; however, they and I are butting heads these days. They seem to think the messier-the-better, whereas I am of the opposite opinion. My four have been a pleasure to raise so far, and I am looking forward to next spring when they start laying so I can have more. However, they are just messy little buggers. I'm used to chickens. One way are the other, I'm going to win this little battle.

 

[G Wiz Ranch]

I made a water system for my 20 ducks that is super easy to clean and has a float to keep it full. (I can clean it in less than 30 seconds). But there are 2 problems with it. First, they pull so much water out of the trough that the area around it gets really wet (I am still working on this problem), second, you need a place to let the water go (I don't have a problem with this because I have very sandy soil and an area where I just let the water run into a field outside of the run).
I haven't shared this with anyone yet because I have not solved the standing water on the ground problem. Two things that I know didn't work, and that was putting the water over a pit covered with wire (the pit starts to stink too fast) and second a pit filled with small gravel (the mud they bring to the water trough along with their poop clogs the gravel). My next attempt is going to be to fill the pit with lager 3-4" rocks and hope they don't clog. If that doesn't work I am going to end up making a small concrete slab that will drain the water into my field away from the run. When I resolve the standing water issue, I will do a write up with photos and a video.