How often do you clean out duck coop?

[Duck Mad]

i clean mine out once a week, but every day picking out any bedding that looks wet damp or mucky then fresh staw where needed.. the free range most of the time so their house doesnt get smelly or mucky. in the garden daily i use a spade to get big lumps of poop up and hose the garden etc.. no smells here

 

[2txmedics]

I was wondering about that....I have a new to them duck house.....

its about 4x4x4 1/2 and I put there food on one side directly behind the doorway wall...and to the other side, I put there waterer whch is a reg 3 gal. plastic waterer and then I sat that on the base of a metal dry feeder so if they drink it falls onto that base.....then I put shavings to the back of the coop....this morning I went to feed them and all there shavings is wet....so how can I keep them dry???? at least there bedding....should I put a board across the coop to cut off there bed area? what????

 

[gofasterstripe]

Dont put their water in their bedroom!!! Simple. Leave the water outside...far away from their bed so they dont trample wet all thru their bedding.
I had to lock my ducks up in the afternoon a few times last year to go to a rodeo 3 hours away so locked them up with a bucket of water on each side of the room. Next day there was not 1 bit of dry shavings in there. It was the hight of summer so I wasnt to worried about it. Your ducks are babies and chill easy so please for their sake move their water far far away from their bedding to keep them warm and dry..and helthy.

 

[2txmedics]

Yes, understand that they do get a chill easy, Heck I do too!!!! lol....but Im confused, as Im told and read....that babies need water non stop all the time even at night....and also food, AND WITH THAT....they if they are outside, to lock them up against predators, since its night time when predators try to break into runs....So Im still DUCK DUM..."DD"....and Im wondering how do I do this???

I have my babies outside, Texas....in a Very large run...

one side of run

other side:

So to be safe, since I dont have a door on the new coop to them house...I put that white wire cage and lock it onto the door frame....The run they are in is secured all around the fence with not only 2 layers of chicken wire, trellis fence ontop of that, above the run I also have it sealed off....Im just worried about them staying out of the coop at night since they are babies still....4wks....

So do they need water and food at night in the coop still???

 

[gofasterstripe]

I cant help you there as I dont keep babies outside at all. My ducklings are in a brooder in my spare room and have food and water during the night but mine dont make a wet mess everywhere, just a poopy mess that I clean out once a day. Ive had 7 week olds in the spare room and they didnt make a wet mess...maybe you need to sort out your way of watering them.

 

[AnaD]

I like the idea of putting the water inside the bottom of a dog kennel for containing their water mess. I think I'll give that a shot.

 

[2txmedics]

After reading and researching....I like the idea of putting the waterer in something like the dog kennel bottom, for me, thats way too big, but...maybe seeing about making a small platform to sit water on, and putting litter box with some old towels under that, at least until they are old enough to that I feel comfortable leaving them out all night.