How to keep ducks and their pen mud free during winter.

[Janay]

Another question, I need an answer soon if possible: I know that chickens can get leg and foot problems if on slippery surfaces. What about ducks? Or is that stupid considering their natural habitat is water and mud?

 

[Jemmie]

We roll up our hoses and bring them inside when its going to freeze outside. Then we bring them back outside in the morning. We use our hoses all winter long by doing this. This way they don't freeze up on us.

We use straw or hay down in our duck and goose yards too. I'm always afraid with the pea gravel of them eating or choking on it.

Laurie

Bring the hoses inside...where? In your house or garage? It gets very cold here in Pennsylvania during the winter and my garage is unheated so I would have to carry them into the basement. I'm intrigued by your idea but I can only image how difficult it's going to be to lug the hoses in and out of snow piles.

I could possibly attach the hose to a deep sink I have in the basement right next to a window and maybe run the hose out that way....hmmm...

 

[zeppley]

~10 min a day to keep 8 ducks clean & dry.

My 4 Pekins and 4 Khaki Campbells (adults, hatched this spring) live in a 10 x10 house with a steel roof and kennel panels for walls. They have a run-in shelter inside that contains a nest box and their galvy feeder. Above this is the peafowl cage, the sleeping spot for 5 peafowl.

These birds were kept in this pen continuously for a month. The floor is stone dust on top of gravel (needed to make the pad for the structure). They had 2 mortar trays with water (splashes drain away in clean stone dust). Daily I would tip up the mortar trays toward the kennel fence where it was routed away from the pen. I would rake the pen to remove dried droppings or caked floor material. It took me about 15 minutes with most the the time needed to clean out and refill the water trays. Note, I have to rake daily or it becomes much more work and I have to replace some of the stone dust.

Now these birds are let out into a large fenced area with a pond during the day, so clean up is even easier ~ 10 minutes/day. Since they have a pond to swim in, I removed the mortar trays and now they drink from a stainless dairy pail in a rubber catchbasin. I will have to figure out something different before freezing weather.

Near dusk I round up the ducks and peafowl and lock them in their predator-proof pen. I have a plastic clothesline tied off about 10 ft away from the pen door. I walk around the pond, playing out clothesline and use the clothesline to herd the ducks out of the pond and into their pen. It doesn't work with the peafowl but luckily I have trained them to come when I whistle, in hopes of mealworms.

I did pay my duck muck dues - I raised these ducks in my chicken coop. Even with elevated waterers in catchbasins they would make a mess, and once they were old enough to go in the run, they turned a small puddle into a 6' diameter shallow pond.

I find no foot problems with the stone dust (or the sand I use in the chicken coop).

May your mud dry and your weather be mild.

 

[jynxster]

In the winter to keep water from freezing, try one of those heated dog watering bowls.

 

[zeppley]

Thanks jynxster,

How long have you been using the heated dog water bowls? We're thinking about them, but my husband has visions of it shorting out and starting a large plastic-kindled fire. He's thinking of moving their feed and water outside during the day - water in a black bowl would probably stay liquid all day. Then we'd lock them in overnight without food & water. I am leery of this but they are fat and I've read they can go o/n without water.

 

[veronicasmom]

We have used the heated dog bowls for years. We also used heated bowls for the rabbits, heated buckets for the goats and horses. If I am not mistaken, when they go below a certain level, they shut off. We check the cords and connections carefully and make sure they are set up so the animals cannot chew the cords. Some cords are already wrapped or we use metal tubes so they are not accessible.


Actually, the rabbit bowls are metal not plastic. Not sure how many ducks you have, but one or two of those might work if you only have a pair.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail....opping&mr:referralID=7b7db9a3-5cb2-11e4-b18e-
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http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07c1a-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

 

[zeppley]

Thanks VM! I ordered a couple heated buckets and will try them out this winter.

 

[veronicasmom]

Ducks are experts at doing what you do not want them to do! So just be aware that if they get in the bucket, getting out might be an issue. This can be solved by putting a piece of wood across the top. We use a 2-3 inch wide piece, notched to sit on the lip of the bucket. Heads can dip in to wash faces, and they can drink, but they cannot climb in.

 

[Jemmie]

Do you have a photo of the bucket with the wood notch?

 

[farmeristas]

I put down a thick layer of straw.

how often the straw needs
to be changed?