Moving out, moving in.

[MammaAtTheAvenue]

My babies. Margo, Tom, Pluto, Riley, Jerry and Barbara xxx

 

[MammaAtTheAvenue]

Do I do the deep bedding from the summer? Or change it all every month or so until Autumn? Xxx

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don’t take it all out I just scoop out wet poopy bedding then add fresh as needed. I keep around 6-8” in the coop year round.

 

[ruthhope]

Dig out the deep bedding in the spring [for me that is April, for you that might be May]. You could continue with deep bedding over the summer but it might be too warm. I rake the bedding out every week over the summer and start accumulating again from October. Maybe some other duck keepers who use deep bedding in the north could chip in with advice. But the technique is to keep the ducks warm and so I don't think you want to use it in the summer months.

We just found that my son's deep bedding is full of ants!! I had wondered why his ducks dig all round the walls with their bills, and get excited when I take out the water tubs to clean them [the water tubs sit into the deep bedding to discourage the ducks from playing soccer with the water tubs.] The ants aren't bothering the ducks -- they are enjoying finding them and eating them!!

Your ducks are gorgeous. Such lovely contrasting colors!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Your going to love Runners they are so comical. After Muscovy they are my favorite breed and I can’t leave out my Buffs who think they are Runners since they hatched with them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I keep my bedding pretty thick to keep my chickens from injury when they jump down off their roosts

 

[MammaAtTheAvenue]

Dig out the deep bedding in the spring [for me that is April, for you that might be May]. You could continue with deep bedding over the summer but it might be too warm. I rake the bedding out every week over the summer and start accumulating again from October. Maybe some other duck keepers who use deep bedding in the north could chip in with advice. But the technique is to keep the ducks warm and so I don't think you want to use it in the summer months.

We just found that my son's deep bedding is full of ants!! I had wondered why his ducks dig all round the walls with their bills, and get excited when I take out the water tubs to clean them [the water tubs sit into the deep bedding to discourage the ducks from playing soccer with the water tubs.] The ants aren't bothering the ducks -- they are enjoying finding them and eating them!!

Your ducks are gorgeous. Such lovely contrasting colors!

Thank you. I'm very glad they didn't turn out to be the 6 khaki Campbells I was told they were! Xxx

 

[citymeetscountry]

Is there a run attached to it or are you letting them range during the day? Seems like you’re asking just about an interior space. As far as the sex ratio, you know it’s not good. We had 3 males and 3 females last year. We weren’t able to rehome and we did lose 1 each to predators. The first year was fine but once mating season hit this year it just wasn’t going to work. We separated the males and females and well the males were just pathetic. We ended up getting my rid of them. We hatched babies and sadly 3/4 are boys. We’re letting it ride for now knowing that next year we’ll have to do something about them, maybe sooner. As far as our routine-I let them out of their house in the morning and provide feed/collect eggs. They have access to a kiddie pool and buckets of water to drink from. Some days I let ours out to range in what I call our “top lot” where our rain drainage pond is and our goats graze. And then before it gets dark I put them back in their house for night and make sure it’s secure. The 2 times we’ve lost them to predators was actually in their fences in (but uncovered) run and we didn’t put them up right before dark, we were just a little late. I use straw in their house and when it starts getting gross I take it out and either throw in the compost of spread in their run/garden and put fresh down. For the feed I just make sure they have free access during the day. The only time their feed is in their house is if it’s raining or we have to lock them up way early in the day (we won’t be home in time to get them before dark)

 

[MammaAtTheAvenue]

Is there a run attached to it or are you letting them range during the day? Seems like you’re asking just about an interior space. As far as the sex ratio, you know it’s not good. We had 3 males and 3 females last year. We weren’t able to rehome and we did lose 1 each to predators. The first year was fine but once mating season hit this year it just wasn’t going to work. We separated the males and females and well the males were just pathetic. We ended up getting my rid of them. We hatched babies and sadly 3/4 are boys. We’re letting it ride for now knowing that next year we’ll have to do something about them, maybe sooner. As far as our routine-I let them out of their house in the morning and provide feed/collect eggs. They have access to a kiddie pool and buckets of water to drink from. Some days I let ours out to range in what I call our “top lot” where our rain drainage pond is and our goats graze. And then before it gets dark I put them back in their house for night and make sure it’s secure. The 2 times we’ve lost them to predators was actually in their fences in (but uncovered) run and we didn’t put them up right before dark, we were just a little late. I use straw in their house and when it starts getting gross I take it out and either throw in the compost of spread in their run/garden and put fresh down. For the feed I just make sure they have free access during the day. The only time their feed is in their house is if it’s raining or we have to lock them up way early in the day (we won’t be home in time to get them before dark)

Thanks this is great info. I am focused on the interior in this post. When you let them out on a morning to you close until bedtime or leave access throughout the day, if they are close by. (We also have an allotment).

Do you think they will be fine together this year or is it better to get extra girls now? xxx

 

[citymeetscountry]

Thanks this is great info. I am focused on the interior in this post. When you let them out on a morning to you close until bedtime or leave access throughout the day, if they are close by. (We also have an allotment).

Do you think they will be fine together this year or is it better to get extra girls now

Our duck house is inside our garden area (the garden area is 1500sqft fenced) and their house is within another fenced off area. When they are let out they typically have access to the whole garden are (I have raised beds this year), they also have access to their house. If I let them up to the top lot they do not have access to their house/feed but they forage a lot. I am usually hole so I can tell when they want to go back to their run/garden (they’ll come and stand either at the gate or walk into the goat penned area and quack until I let them back down.

We didn’t have issues with our ration last year (they were March babies) so you might be fine this year until mating season hits next year. However it’ll likely be easier to integrate more females now than to wait.