Vicki,
Pretty much as you describe. The water will be in the night pen, on sand bedding over hardware cloth (wire). No water in the house!
Then I plan to fluff, perhaps add some DE, and fresh bedding on top. Fluffing helps keep air in the bedding, and should reduce the production of ammonia (big problem, that gas). I will be experimenting with some different bedding. There is a thread in the chicken forum about the deep litter method, DLM. Some very experienced hands contribute to that - you may want to take a look.
One logistical component for me with DLM will be the ramp between the house and outdoors. Toward the end of winter, the litter will be, well, deep. I don't want ducks yelling kowabunga and having to leap down onto the ramp a foot or two below!
I will figure it out - there are a few options.
Chicken0Boy, glad I could help a little. I need to get some pics posted - I am about 90% done with the outdoor setup. With planting season and so forth, well, you probably know how things can pile up sometimes.
Anyway, I will work on the pics, and I have a couple of large (I mean, large) stainless steel mixing bowls for outside. I put a weight (read rock or jar filled with water and sealed tightly) in the bowl, then add food. The other holds water. The water is heavy enough that they don't easily tip it over. Those are outside, where spillage doesn't matter.
The birds aren't spending time in their house yet - temperatures and incomplete predator-proofing. But we are close, I think.
In the brooder, by the way, I use a three gallon plastic poultry waterer. That way I don't worry about metals leaching into the water (yes there is a debate, from what I have read, I think the risk is too high).
The waterer that is in the brooder sits in a three gallon short-sided rubber bucket on top of empty cleaned cat food cans. That catches most of the splash. And at eight weeks, they don't need water overnight (max 10 hours, usually 6 - 8).
I don't know about
TSC. They are not close to me, so I go to a couple of local feed stores. I am using Nutrena grower/maintenance ration - they are sleek and seem quite healthy. I also feed greens, and a few peas for treats.
Layer pellets are best from about a month before they start laying to the end of laying season. Since I want natural rhythms (and a lower electric bill), I don't plan on keeping my flock on 14 hour light for production. So when they are laying, I plan to use a laying ration, but when not, I will switch back over to maintenance.
As you probably know, laying ration has much more calcium (ducks need close to 3% calcium while laying, per Storey's Guide) than non-laying ducks need. Extra calcium is hard on their internal organs. Non-layers need only a little less than 1%. I am considering whether to supplement maintenance ration with (don't faint) crush cat kibble and oyster shell just before and throughout laying season. Those ideas came from Storey's, by the way.
