Keeping the duck run dry

[chickens really]

Would you suggest to put the waterer on a block as well? Currently ours is simply a bowl on the ground and they keep knocking it over. They sort of dip their beaks in and scoop up, so we chose not to use one of the chicken waterers that we had which wouldn't allow for that scooping motion.

I use rubber livestock Bowls and the large ones for water and medium for feed. Yes sidewalk blocks or rubber mats under the water helps..

 

[jennybvcr]

My duck run is based with 3 inches of pea gravel. On top of that I have industrial chef mats with large holes in them. Top surface is nearly always clean bc the mats rinse off in seconds with the hose and water/muck drains right through the pea gravel and into the soil. Couldn't imagine having it any other way. EXTREMELY low maintenance! Added bonus, earthworms live and breed under the mats so at any time I can pick one up and the girls have a virtual buffet of treats

This sounds like magic. I have sand down but not a ton because I didn't know what I wanted to use as flooring and just needed something quick to cover the hardware cloth.

They've only been in two days so I can't attest to how the sand is working out but... seems ok so far? It gets wet around where their pool is but there is nothing to mold or rot. Thinking of maybe adding pavers under the pool to catch/suck up some of the water that they splash out.

 

[Abbi]

Would you suggest to put the waterer on a block as well? Currently ours is simply a bowl on the ground and they keep knocking it over. They sort of dip their beaks in and scoop up, so we chose not to use one of the chicken waterers that we had which wouldn't allow for that scooping motion.

I use a smaller 12" metal bowl for water, and place it inside of a larger 18" empty plastic bowl. That way whatever water spills out goes into the larger bowl and not on the ground. Helps a TON!

 

[DukesDucks]

For water I use a large size, gravity feed one like you can buy for dogs. Big reservoir on top that drains into the deep bowl underneath. I change the water every day, and every couple of days really wipe out the bowl and reservoir.
An advantage of these is that on hot days I can add a plastic bottle of frozen water to the reservoir without worrying the ducks could possibly get at it.