just how messy are ducks?

[kees]

Ducks are very messy and need water to swim around in. They will need their quarters cleaned at least once a day, twice is better as they will foul their swimming water constantly.

 

[Buster]

My three ducklings made a bigger mess and used more water than 30 chicks and 2 turkey poults combined.

 

[joanna]

OK, here's my .02....I got 4 ducklings earlier this year (valentines?) for the first time. they are messy, but not as bad as I thought they'd be. they do mess their kiddie pool and it has to be dumped every other day, but we use the grass clippings from our yard for them in their pen (they share with the chickies) and maybe that helps absorb the moisture. but so far, so good. they are a little mean towards the chickens, but they hold their own as they are getting bigger.

they are a joy to watch and follow each other around. I'd buy them again...

 

[DuckyBoys]

I think it all really depends on how big their pens are and how many are in in there. My biggest bunch is 5 ducks and 4 geese and they make a pretty big mess. In fact, today they are bing introduced to the big wide world known as "the donkey pasture". Every feed store in town has run out of straw and shavings just don't do it for me - so off to the pasture. That pen, and it is good size - 14x6 - is a MESS! I have two other groups of 3 - 3 geese and 3 ducks - and those numbers are MUCH more managable.

Rule number one for water fowl - NO WATER IN THE PENS (if you can avoid it)

Makes things easier to restrict it to outside only.

 

[sBrickmanHouse]

We have 3 3-week old ducklings living in our guest bathroom tub, and the mess is unholy.

The bathtub is lined with a towel, and we have two gallon milk jug waterers in there, as well as a chick feeder. Thank god cleaning is easy, because it has to be done every day or the smell will knock you out.

We put the ducks in the other bathtub to swim for 20 minutes or so while we take out the dirty towel, take out the feeder and waterers, spray the tub clean with the tub spray nozzle, wash the feeder and waterers, dry the tub, put a fresh towel down, and then the refilled feeders and waterers.

I guess I have to be honest and say that the cleaning process itself doesn't take any time at all (maybe 10 minutes), but it is gross, and it DOES have to be done every day, without fail.

I can't imagine what it'd be like without the set up we've got for them, and even so, cannot WAIT to get them outside!

 

[reallemons1]

Way too messy for me. However if I had a pond...they are so cute!

 

[thewarriorchild]

I have three and am SOOO sorry we got them, I can not wait till they go out. My daughter wanted them. She is supposed to be caring for them but if she slacks off you could puke at the smell. The ONLY way to have baby ducks and the only way I would ever do it again is in warm weather where they could be outside, in a tub with a lid where I could hose them out. UGH!!

 

[DuckLady]

Messy?

Ok if you say so. Mine assimilated me first day, so I guess any mess they are alleged to make doesn't bother me.

Besides, there is nothing more charming than a mud doodling duck.

 

[GoodEgg]

When mine were in the house, one thing that seemed to help was that we had very tall weeds at the time. I went outside each day and pulled huge amounts of weeds, and spread it over the fresh paper after cleaning the cage. It seemed to not get as mucky as it did before I started adding them.

Tonight, I let the baby gooses wander and they took up with the ducks ... although they are pretty much towering over them now. Baka wants to know what's up with the giant baby ducks, LOL.

They are all kinda leery of the baby gooses though, ever since Atilla grabbed onto Momo and was dragged around by him. It has happened again since then, so they keep just a little distance now. But the baby gooses aren't afraid of them anymore, it seems, so it's peaceful at the moment.

trish

 

[dangerouschicken]

Ducks are messy and poopy and stinky and I will never get them again because of all those things. They are cute and delicious, but I butchered my first one today and I never will do it again. It was all too sad. Chickens are much better.