Help- I knew they'd be messy but.....

[Jjncr]

Good morning. I'm on my 3rd waterer with these ladies. 8 ducks, and I've made an indoir/outdoor dog kennel into a duck pen. Floor is cement. Since putting a larger waterer in there, they have managed to cover the floor in water......and with the hay I have down, here came the flies. I have quite the message to scrub and dry out later.

What are some solutions for water so that their entire indoor pen is not constantly moist? I have put them in the outside part for the day since it will be in the 80's. The walls are lined with hardware cloth and netting on top to keep predators out.

Thanks for any thoughts!!!!

Janet

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Keep the water outdoors. That's what I do with my chickens, too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So their pen is their coop too? and you have straw down over the cement? No covering [roof] just netting? how are you going to keep the straw dry when it rains or when you get snow if you do? You need a dry area for their bedding and an area where they can have their water and feed. But that will need to have a roof too or their feed will be soaked first rain.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Maybe use a "duck shield" as shown in this video at about 1 minute in:

 

[Jjncr]

Thanks everyone. I'm hoping to use the indoor part at night. I literally just put them outside over the weekend gradually increasing the time.

I have a large dog house in the outdoor part for shelter, dry bedding in there. Also hay in two corners of the kennel for them to sit on, which I replaced each day. Toys and food of course.

Do you leave the water outside at 2 weeks??

Can you let me know your typical routine? Clean out entire pen or coop every couple of days or everyday?

They literally had a small puddle in the bottom of their coop this morning.

 

[harmonymw]

They’re gross. Bedding doesn’t really work. You pretty much need rocks or sand or something like that. Hay or straw or shavings doesn’t compost fast enough to be sustainable unless you have a huge piece of property and corresponding compost pile. I’d just have the hay in the dog house.

 

[harmonymw]

I start leaving the water and food outside the pen at 3 weeks or so. It’s about 9 hours and then the coops get opened and everyone comes running out to the pool.

 

[Miss Lydia]

At 2 weeks old they may still need heat of some kind?

Something needs to be over the cement or your be having bumble foot because cement is rough on poultry feet. Horse stall mats or sand but seems to be sand would wash away after a while.Then you'd be left with cement again.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Do you have pics of your set up? That might help get some advice suited to your situation.
What is the waterer you are currently using for them? What are the night time temps?

 

[Jjncr]

I start leaving the water and food outside the pen at 3 weeks or so. It’s about 9 hours and then the coops get opened and everyone comes running out to the pool.

Thank you!!! This helps so much!!! I was losing my mind trying to keep things clean!!!!