Modern, but not practical.

[mr pants]

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I've updated on here. Our two ducks, Richard (the Runner) and Party (the Mallard) refuse to roost in the house I built them. I don't think they like the stairs, or they would just rather sleep under the house. Do you have any suggestions? I'm about to sell this house and plan to build them a basic run with a simple roof for shelter unless I can come up with something else. I was thinking of a Hoop Coop, using 4 or 6 gauge cattle wire and chicken wire. We have limited space and our two ducks are free range when we are home.

Another question: Who uses straw? How many layers and how often do you clean it out? We were using mulch, but that's proven to not be good as it stays wet all the time.

 

[Amiga]

Just a wild idea - could you cut the floor out with a sawzall or similar tool, and rebuild it to about a foot off the ground? Many ducks really don't like ramps, though mine are fine with a two foot long ramp that goes up six inches.

For outdoor pen bedding, I use a few inches of good compost under some chopped straw. It gets stirred up - often by the ducks looking for worms (free food!) - and occasionally I pull some out and top it off with fresh.

I like dried oak leaves around the wetter areas - it seems to reduce any odors.

 

[mr pants]

Actually, I cut the floor out of the house so that the bedding material could easily be dumped out. (It's like a trap door with hinges) I'll certainly look into removing the entire floor. Great idea!

Thanks for answering the bedding question too. We put some straw in ours, but i would like to build it up 4 to 6 inches. (i think).

 

[Amiga]

I think you are squarely on the mark with your plans. It took some time - weeks or months - for the composting process to really get going in our bedding, but it got there fairly quickly, and works so very well. We have a little, maybe 2 percent slope to the pen. That way water runs off. And what doesn't run off soaks in pretty quickly once the compost-straw bedding is established. Worms will come up through the soil and aerate the soil, further increasing drainage. It's lovely. Can you tell I have worked with soil and agricultural stuff for a while?

 

[mr pants]

Sometimes we ask questions we already know the answer to, right? Your advise is much appreciated and will be followed! Thanks again Amiga.