Hi! Congrats on getting runners - such cute, sweet and entertaining ducks! Can't wait to see pics! You've gotten great tips so far - not too much to add to all the good stuff @DuckyDonna covered! I just want to comment on the concrete and drainage.
We put a concrete pad under our run, then laid cheap linoleum over that. Then we put hay/pine shavings in the cold months in the run and house. Last summer I just hosed out the run instead of using bedding. However it never stopped raining last summer, combine that with ducks splashing and me spraying their run out, I ended up having to put in a drainage area next to the run going into an underground pipe distributed out into the yard. I switched to sand later and really liked it b/c it scoops so easily - and it's dry LOL.
I hear people talk about how stinky ducks are but I don't have any problem with odors. My Mother even says the ducks don't stink - and she thinks ALL animals stink I scoop the big stuff out twice daily and take it to the compost pile - then fluff the bedding. I also rotate the bedding... I scoop more from the run everyday, so I take bedding from the house to fill the run. Then all the new/fresh bedding goes into the house. Side note - I see people selling their USED chicken and duck bedding on craigslist for other people to buy for their compost piles - something to consider if you don't have a compost pile of your own
You may try a few things before you find what works best for you. What I learned is that the duck house/run/yard/etc is the project that never ends!!! But it's a fun project! And our babies are worth it!
Have fun!!!
We put a concrete pad under our run, then laid cheap linoleum over that. Then we put hay/pine shavings in the cold months in the run and house. Last summer I just hosed out the run instead of using bedding. However it never stopped raining last summer, combine that with ducks splashing and me spraying their run out, I ended up having to put in a drainage area next to the run going into an underground pipe distributed out into the yard. I switched to sand later and really liked it b/c it scoops so easily - and it's dry LOL.
I hear people talk about how stinky ducks are but I don't have any problem with odors. My Mother even says the ducks don't stink - and she thinks ALL animals stink I scoop the big stuff out twice daily and take it to the compost pile - then fluff the bedding. I also rotate the bedding... I scoop more from the run everyday, so I take bedding from the house to fill the run. Then all the new/fresh bedding goes into the house. Side note - I see people selling their USED chicken and duck bedding on craigslist for other people to buy for their compost piles - something to consider if you don't have a compost pile of your own
You may try a few things before you find what works best for you. What I learned is that the duck house/run/yard/etc is the project that never ends!!! But it's a fun project! And our babies are worth it!
Have fun!!!