Help/Suggestions for ground cover

[Mama_Owl_3]

Help I need suggestions please! Still very new to owning ducks This is the secure outside are of the duck house and it is getting nasty. It is uncovered to the elements and as you can see had complete grass coverage at one point. The bucket is moved to different locations inside the area and the water changed daily. In the current heat we have, it is starting to smell pretty bad and I am afraid that something my start growing that might make my ducks sick.

 

[Isaac 0]

I use wood chips/leaves and other decaying material in my run it works great.I clean it out every year and put it in the garden. I've tried sand before but eventually the duck poop and dirt mixed in with it and it started to stink badly and its a pain move wet stinky sand out of the run. A course making the run bigger or letting them free range would cut down on the stink a lot.

You will get a lot of mixed answers but everyone lives in a different climate and has a different setup so you might just need to experiment and see what works the best.

Best of Luck!

 

[Evelyn Walker]

Personally, I use sand. It absorbs moisture and reduces smell, so it's great for wet climates (or messy birds), but others will have other suggestions.

 

[Mama_Owl_3]

Is sand or river pebbles/rocks better for this type of area? I want to make sure that whatever I put here isn't going to cause foot problems over time.

 

[Flyinbolts]

I toss my grass clippings in to cover bare ground - ducks love it and so do the bugs that they love to munch on.

Also toss my used bedding into the pen - it dries in the sun and same thing.
How many ducks do you have? They need some decent space to play and not be all in one spot

 

[Mama_Owl_3]

I use wood chips/leaves and other decaying material in my run it works great.I clean it out every year and put it in the garden. I've tried sand before but eventually the duck poop and dirt mixed in with it and it started to stink badly and its a pain move wet stinky sand out of the run. A course making the run bigger or letting them free range would cut down on the stink a lot.

You will get a lot of mixed answers but everyone lives in a different climate and has a different setup so you might just need to experiment and see what works the best.

Best of Luck!

Well this enclosure is for when I have them locked up at night, I let them out during the day and give them free range of my yard. I just can't seem to get a handle on this enclosure and the ground cover, it just seems to get worse.

 

[Newfowler1]

I have been using straw and left over alfalfa. The Alfalfa has a strong odor to it all itself. They don’t seem to eat any of it. It seems to cover up the odor maybe but it’s more expansive than cheap hay, straw or free grass clippings. grass clippings