How much straw over winter?

[Quackattack717]

Hi there,

So my husband & I would like to purchase our straw for this fall for the entire winter. How many bales in your opinion do we need to purchase our winter usually last anywhere from November- March. We know the ducks will mostly spend more time in their coop meaning we’ll need to clean it more often. Let me know your opinions! Please & Thank you!

 

[Dar492]

We change our ducks' 2x6 foot area. One bale will last about 10 days if changed everyday. We go a bit overboard with the changing to keep it clean. You could probably make it last longer.

Depends how many ducks you have as well, I've got 4 Cayugas.

 

[chickens really]

Well I use pine shavings with a bit of straw over top.
I only use straw sparingly in one corner of my Run ..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi there,

So my husband & I would like to purchase our straw for this fall for the entire winter. How many bales in your opinion do we need to purchase our winter usually last anywhere from November- March. We know the ducks will mostly spend more time in their coop meaning we’ll need to clean it more often. Let me know your opinions! Please & Thank you!

What about shavings the kind for horse stalls? It sure absorbs the wet poo better than straw. If you take the shovel daily an scoop out the wet spots fluff and add as needed. No cedar.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Limited storage capacity allows me to safely store 8 bales of straw. I need one bale after i cleaned out the entire duck-house and then another bale every month until the bedding is more than a foot deep again, so i assume i have enough straw until march or April.
It depends a bit on the weather, if the winter is very wet, the ducks bring a lot of moisture and mud into the house and i have to clean it out sooner.
Total of 24 ducks.

 

[Quackattack717]

Limited storage capacity allows me to safely store 8 bales of straw. I need one bale after i cleaned out the entire duck-house and then another bale every month until the bedding is more than a foot deep again, so i assume i have enough straw until march or April.
It depends a bit on the weather, if the winter is very wet, the ducks bring a lot of moisture and mud into the house and i have to clean it out sooner.
Total of 24 ducks.

Wow 24 ducks. Thanks for the info, super helpful. We will only have a total of 6 ducks in our coop so I’m guessing if we get around a similar amount we should definitely make it through winter!

 

[Quackattack717]

What about shavings the kind for horse stalls? It sure absorbs the wet poo better than straw. If you take the shovel daily an scoop out the wet spots fluff and add as needed. No cedar.

We use shavings under our straw to soak up pee and moisture but still put straw on top to added comfort and warmth!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Wow 24 ducks. Thanks for the info, super helpful. We will only have a total of 6 ducks in our coop so I’m guessing if we get around a similar amount we should definitely make it through winter!

I was planning for 20. We had 5 Fawn & White Runners last year and in spring we bought 5 White Layers, 5 Buff-Orpington and 5 Magpie ducklings. One of the White Layers arrived here injured and i had to give her away, one Buff Orpington duck was taken by a raccoon and while the ducklings were growing inside our drake Donald suddenly disappeared. So we ended up with 15 ducks and two drakes. Then Katharina Duck tricked me out and hatched seven ducklings, four girls and three boys, so total 24. And i don't know if 19 ducks and 5 drakes is working out, so i might need some more ducks…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

We use shavings under our straw to soak up pee and moisture but still put straw on top to added comfort and warmth!

Similar to what i do: I use hay at the bottom, it clumps together with the poop and sucks up the moisture pretty well, and on top of that a thick layer of straw.
If the straw is too dirty, i add another layer and so on, until my ducks have to squeeze in between the straw and the roof - just kidding! I'm not that lazy! If the bedding is thicker than ~30cm (1ft) i must clean out the whole house and start from scratch.