Important bedding question! Pls

[FrankiesquarteracreFarm]

Ducklings have only been in their coop for under a week. It sits on my driveway and the drainage of the slab leads to the ABM pellets getting saturated when it rains. I'm going to muck out all the bedding and install a subfloor of elevated plywood. If anyone has ideas on this please indulge me. Most importantly, can I dry or refuse this bedding? It's not soiled much at all and seems a waste to throw out. Thanks in advance ill attach a cute pics of the ducks as a reward for your help

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

What ideas did you have for reusing the bedding? I don't think It'd hurt anything at all. Ducks rarely get sick or diseases.

 

[FrankiesquarteracreFarm]

What ideas did you have for reusing the bedding? I don't think It'd hurt anything at all. Ducks rarely get sick or diseases.

I raked it out onto a tarp in the sun. Hoping it dries a bit, fluff it and put it back on top of the new subfloor. Other option is mulch the blueberries with it and put all new bedding in the coop/ pen ( it's 75 sqft)

 

[KaleIAm]

Ducks rarely get sick or diseases.

Can you tell that to my ducks? Lol! And maybe my bank account...

 

[KaleIAm]

View attachment 2639667Ducklings have only been in their coop for under a week. It sits on my driveway and the drainage of the slab leads to the ABM pellets getting saturated when it rains. I'm going to muck out all the bedding and install a subfloor of elevated plywood. If anyone has ideas on this please indulge me. Most importantly, can I dry or refuse this bedding? It's not soiled much at all and seems a waste to throw out. Thanks in advance ill attach a cute pics of the ducks as a reward for your helpView attachment 2639672

Your ducklings are adorable.

I wouldn't reuse bedding. Even if it looks cleanish, there could be mold spores in it.

Most avian diseases and parasites are species specific. Some aren't, but I'm willing to take that small risk and I mulch around my vegetable garden with used duck bedding. If you wanted to be super safe you could compost it first. I do that, too, and it makes excellent compost.

I'm not sure what the PH of your bedding would be, blueberries like to be acidic I believe.

 

[FrankiesquarteracreFarm]

Your ducklings are adorable.

I wouldn't reuse bedding. Even if it looks cleanish, there could be mold spores in it.

Most avian diseases and parasites are species specific. Some aren't, but I'm willing to take that small risk and I mulch around my vegetable garden with used duck bedding. If you wanted to be super safe you could compost it first. I do that, too, and it makes excellent compost.

I'm not sure what the PH of your bedding would be, blueberries like to be acidic I believe.

You're right. It's a too much risk for such a low cost.
Blueberries do like acidic soil. I heard fir shavings are the perfect mulch. Figure the Abm is pretty much the same but finer. It's just a lot of carbon with no poop in it to add to the compost heap right now

 

[FrankiesquarteracreFarm]

Your ducklings are adorable.

Thanks! Pretty smitten with the little guys

 

[FrankiesquarteracreFarm]

Subfloor complete, resting on red brick, each panel can be removed independently to do a thorough clean. We will see how it goes

 

[Goosebaby]

That’s an interesting question, to reuse or not reuse.

There’s some evidence that reusing bedding can boost the gut flora of birds and make them more resistant to diseases like Enterococcal spondylitis, but on the other hand reusing bedding can put your birds at greater risk of catching fungal diseases.

So it’s up to you what you think is best, though I suggest if you do reuse make sure it’s turned multiple times to ensure it’s bone dry and never reuse if sickness is present.

 

[FrankiesquarteracreFarm]

That’s an interesting question, to reuse or not reuse.

There’s some evidence that reusing bedding can boost the gut flora of birds and make them more resistant to diseases like Enterococcal spondylitis, but on the other hand reusing bedding can put your birds at greater risk of catching fungal diseases.

So it’s up to you what you think is best, though I suggest if you do reuse make sure it’s turned multiple times to ensure it’s bone dry and never reuse if sickness is present.

Interesting point. They are free ranged a lot already so I'm hoping a good gut flora is developing. As they are ducklings I'll play it safe for now, I think the blueberries will like it more too