Holy Criminy the mess!!!

[lovesduckies]

HAHAHA yessss they are messy. i only have 3 ducklings

but i kept big duckies in my room for 7 months LOL i layed sheets on my floor

the brooder is in my room. i use a childs porta-crib. i use towels

way easy. when it's time to wash i fertilize the yard

 

[crj]

The mess? No kidding. I have 6 4 1/2 old runners in my living room. They are in a wire dog crate. I've figured out the best way to deal with the mess. I bring the cute little buggers outside during the day and let them lose in there pool. I do need help carrying the cage. It takes two people. It's hot enough here in NC to keep them out till night fall. When they are finished in the pool.... they flop out and get back in their cage (home) I close the door. They rest until they are ready to go back into the pool. They can poop on the grass so no clean up there!! I keep a pan of water in with them and food.

When they are in the house???? I have a flannel sheet folded on the floor where I put the cage. Then I line the bottom of the cage (it has removable trays) with towels. Put the water and food back in and they are set. I have found that the towels work the best with the mess. I hose down the towels outside on the grass. They ate the pine shavings, newspaper and cardboard I had in there. It can't be good for them.

I'm hoping and praying my pen will be ready for them tomorrow. They can really smell up the house by morning. I even have a baby rabbit in my tub......... ugh. Neighbors brought it over last night. There cat got it. I'm sure it will be fine and when it gets bigger I will let it go. Luckily the chickens like being out side with the horses. I do have a broody chicken sitting on 8 eggs that are due to hatch next weekend! I will be my first batch. Now, to get the dogs off the ac vents on the floor!

 

[chickensioux]

Quote:
I had 3 ducklings and a baby goose on my large screened in patio, we power washed it today. INCREDIBLE mess!!!!

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
yes it is a wire floor with a rubber coating over it. easy to clean. its a high end rabbit hutch really

but the flooring works great. they sell stuff similar as coated hardware cloth but I have only seen the 1/4 inch and you would want 1/2 inch so poop falls through.

 

[Willowbrook]

Here is my solution to dirty ducklings.

I use large Rubbermaid or plastic tubs and I even use a large plastic-bottom guinea pig/rabbit cage to brood my ducklings.
After going through what everyone has already described as a cesspool of filth, I came up with this (and my best so far) solution to dirty ducks.

I bought a fluorescent lighting panel insert at Home Depot which is made of hard plastic and has a smooth surface. It is a grate style and the openings are about 1/2 x 1/2 inch.
I cut this to fit the bottom of the container that I'm using and make it just large enough to be slightly elevated off of the floor. This is usually very easy to do as most containers are slightly tapered at the bottom and you will get an automatic lift off of the floor. I use a hack saw to cut the grate and it is very easy to do. You could put some type of supports underneath if you feel the need, but I've never had to do so. They are approximately 2 feet by 4 feet when you buy them and run about $10. They hold up very well.

The ducklings are on top of the grate and all the mess of food, water and poo falls right through to the below area.

You still have to clean the brooder often, but the ducks stay clean and out of the mess. The grate is easy to hose off or rinse and you don't have to dry it as the water doesn't stay on the plastic.

This has made my life so much easier not to mention keeping the ducks cleaner and healthier.

I forgot to mention that even the tiniest of feet cannot go through the openings and my Silky ducklings prove it.

 

[T Hi]

I have 5 runner ducklings that are 6 weeks old.

I have a 50 gallon rubbermaid tub. I lay 2 puppy pee pads on the bottom then a thin layer of white pine shavings then on the end where the waterer is I also put a layer of bedding pellets. The cost is pretty minimal. The bale of shavings lasts about 2-3 weeks. $6.50 a bale. A bag of pellets lasts about a week. $4.99 a #40 bag. I buy the puppy pads at Costco. $16.99 for 100 so it lasts 50 days! Just in time to be old enough to go outside!!

I only change it once a day. (I work 12 hour days) Our routine is ducklings go into their nightly bath while I clean out the box and replace bedding. I scrub the bathtub out with bleach everynight because my teenagers still use that tub! I don't start everything until about 8pm and am done by 8:30-9:00. So when everything is done they are all tired out and ready for bed! I do not put food in at night and they pretty much leave the water alone till 5am the next morning when it is breakfast time!

I hang the feeder off the edge of the counter so they don't make a total mess of it. I put the waterer in a plastic cake transporter thing that keeps any extra water in! Then set it on top of 4 bricks stacked up. Started on the floor and as they grew I added bricks so they can't stand in it. Just get their heads in! That keeps the bedding from getting soaked and stinky!

My family was not terribly excited about the possibility of stinkyness in the livingroom at first but doing this everyday has really minimized smell! We don't really start noticing it until 6 or 7 at night right before we start cleaning anyway! We have had all the neighbors and friends come to check out the babies and they are shocked that it doesn't smell to high heaven!

Hope this helps!

 

[Duck_feeder]

I used a large rubbermaid container and used wood pellets (expanded to sawdust by getting them slightly wet) for bedding. I made the bedding about 3 inches deep and each day I would scoop out the wet area by their water, scrap off the top inch of bedding, put down another inch of bedding and mix it up with the bedding below it. Once a week I'd change out all of the bedding. No problems with smell (stayed in my bedroom for about 4 weeks) but I only had two ducklings.

 

[bock]

I once had 30 ducklings in the brooder! Boy, was that exciting!