This one is really old, but I know I reference old posts all the time. So many great ideas! I took a big tray (like the kind you get at a cafeteria) and covered it with hardware cloth. This way all the schnuffling would fall through ( and a good amount of the poop) for the first two or three weeks. It got to where we could not give them more water without dumping the tray each time. Still messy, of course, but kept the shavings drier. I also put a flat pan under the nipple waterer to keep it dryer, they manage to take showers under that. My Welsh Harlequins were almost full size after three weeks, so then I stopped feeding them at night, put them in an outdoor run during the day with shade (August in New Mexico, nice and warm outside) and let them just use a nipple waterer at night. As they got even bigger (how big is this breed supposed to be?!? They are 5 weeks old now and bigger than standard ducks - maybe I gave them too much protein when they were little?) I find I still have to remove all the shavings at least every three days, even if I add a new layer every night. They are fertilizer producing machines! I'll have a crazy garden next year!
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