Muddy Duck Pen

[hugitnotnugget]

we put the water buckets in the pen and they splash it all over and make their pen very muddy. Also what do I do with the ducks in the winter?

 

[Miss Lydia]

we put the water buckets in the pen and they splash it all over and make their pen very muddy. Also what do I do with the ducks in the winter?

You can put down some ground cover material and then add river rock over top a good layer. That will help a lot . If you just add straw hay or shaving they will just turn it over into the mud and you'll be able to make bricks. Adding the material then the river rocks that can be washed off easily also.

 

[Cherib603]

I use a layer of diatomaceous earth under mulch.
Stays relatively dry, no smell.

 

[Amiga]

Remember that slope plays a big part. The pen needs to drain. Ours has a 2% slope into a shallow channel that goes to a garden bed, watering and fertilizing the plants. We add chopped straw and that mixes with the manure and makes a nice-smelling base, and I dig it out sometimes and put it on the garden.

 

[chickens really]

we put the water buckets in the pen and they splash it all over and make their pen very muddy. Also what do I do with the ducks in the winter?

I use river rock and sidewalk blocks and hose it once a day. In the dog house they sleep in I use shavings during the summer and straw in the winter.
As for winter care, I live in central Alberta, Canada . Our winters can be very cold...Brrrr...
My run is a 10x10 dog run. I will use straw bales around the dog house and tarp off the sides that get the wind.
I will not use a heat lamp. Ducks can withstand very cold temps as long as they can get out of the wind. I will also lay down straw in the run in one area so they can keep off the frozen ground.
Your location might be easier keeping ducks? You never stated a winter location.