How do you keep your duck house clean?

[harriedhomemaker]

I use the deep litter method with my chicken house and it works perfectly - zero flies, no odor. I don't think that's going to work with my ducks! It is better now that my five Anconas have access to a large run and spend most of their day outdoors, but their house still ends up wet, messy, and attracts lots of flies.

How do you keep your duck housing clean? What type of litter do you use and what does your routine maintainence look like?

 

[jackolantern]

i use DE ( diatomaceous earth ) i mix it in with my shavings. i also am now mixing it in with my feed. we have alot less flies the ducklings love to eat the flies. that also helps out.. the are not in a coop all day as mine free range with their mothers.

 

[harriedhomemaker]

i use DE ( diatomaceous earth ) i mix it in with my shavings. i also am now mixing it in with my feed. we have alot less flies the ducklings love to eat the flies. that also helps out.. the are not in a coop all day as mine free range with their mothers.

Mine are already getting DE in their feed, but I could definitely add it to the shavings.

 

[ChicagoDucks]

where do you buy DE? do you have to buy food-grade DE, or some kind of livestock safe variety?

 

[Kevin565]

I use food grade and find it at my local feed store. I've seen it at tractors supply before.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

scrape them all out once a week, hose out, let dry, rebed.

pelleted horse stall bedding, no water at night they can go 3-4 weeks without needing major cleaning.

 

[sherrybintally]

Pelleted horse bedding? I would be afraid the ducks would eat it! I've never actually seen it though...I'll check it out.

I use the deep pile method. Much too much work any other way and it makes for better compost when I do clean it out completely (3-4 times a year). I do shut them up in a small area (house) at night and like was said in another post, without water. They can go 8 or so hours without water.

I also use something called Sweet PDZ and sprinkle it over any poo places before I add bedding on top. Cuts down on the flies and the smell and is safe. It's used in horse stalls, primarily. It just takes a little sprinkle so it lasts a long time. I also spray the area with Odoban (ecalyptus scented) that I buy at Home Depot. I think that's more for me than for the ducks!

I use straw (not pine straw) in a confined run/pen that's attached to their house then in their house I use pine shavings used for horse stalls. I used the deep pile method in both areas. I do use the straw in their nest boxes in their house because I have found it to be the most absorbent and easiest to remove, which must be done there almost daily if you have any hopes of getting somewhat clean eggs.

I haven't figured out what to do in their main run. It's just dirt... and poo....I don't have easy access to haul gravel to it and gravel didn't work at all in their pen. Nasty mess. We've been thinking about sodding it. Might be a waste of money and time.

 

[Going Quackers]

I'm crazy, i tidy mine everyday... i use a stall fork(like for horses) and clean out the droppings and stir the bedding. All my birds get food/water overnight too. For now i just have shavings and a mix of DE.

I am going to try some pellets, i have them for the horses and i use them in the rabbits litter bins, just need to remember to grab that extra bag lol

 

[PeanutnCashew]

Sherry, why not use pine straw over the dirt, or small pebbles. At least they wouldnt be standing in the dirt and poop and it is easy to hose down.

The only way I have found to eliminate a fly issue is bringing them inside to eat. Leftover wet food attracts flys.

I also hose down any visible poop on top of the pebbles/ pine straw 3 x day.

 

[tbitt]

Pine straw, is this easy to find?

What is it's advantages over regular straw?