need some advice

[duckylove]

hey,
so i had my 4 ducks since dec i just moved them outside a couple of months ago. they were loving it out there but now they stink worse then what they did inside! right now they have a house and a big water pin alteast 3 can fit in confee and a food dish. but when i was building it i had to dig up and put a net under the bottom so no wild aniamals get under it. so right now its just dirt down on the bottom and the smell in crazy and someone said it worse when it rains in true. so i was wondering what else can i use to put on the bottom? i saw someone had hay but i dont want to use hay because i am afraid of it catching on fire from the heat and it by the shed and i dont need that burning down to . i was thinking some wood chips but i just feel like it would be hard for them to walk on and cedar ones are bad. so if anyone has other ideas please let me know! and also the keep laying eggs and just moving them around not laying on them so i took them out but i keep getting more! i heard that they can just lay eggs that are kind of like a dud egg nothing will come from it is this because they have nothing to make a nest with?

 

[Sharoane]

I'm having the same problem, my ducks stink up their pen something awful. When I move them I'm going to add a layer of construction sand, I think, to help keep the pen from getting mucky and nasty. Also, I'm moving them to a new part of my yard and turning over the gross area. This might be small consolation but my geese smell worse.

 

[Amiga]

Here is how I have my duck house set up, maybe you will get some ideas.

It does not stink at all. I would sleep in there on a blanket.

Water and feed pans are in an area that is easily maintained, and are not ever in the duck house where the ducks sleep and lay eggs.

The house is bedded with at least a foot of pine shavings, and a few inches of straw on top. I change out the straw every day or three, stir the shavings (to which I add several handfuls of dry peat moss to reduce ammonia formation), and also add a few - just a light sprinkling - shavings a couple of times a week.

The attached porch, covered with half inch hardware cloth top bottom and sides, has an inch or two of sand on the bottom, then I put a couple of inches of sawdust pellets on top of that. Every day, I use a cultivator and stir up the sawdust, leaving the sand alone. Always smells fine. When it begins to smell earthy, I shovel the used sawdust into buckets and put it on the compost or around the base of trees or bushes. And I put fresh sawdust in again.

 

[duckylove]

Hey so I got a new problem if someone can help please so 2 days ago I went out and of course my male is picking on the one of my females so I go back inside come out again and my male is following her so I shoo him away and I notice she is limping I catch her right before she gets in her cage I start petting her to calm her down (they don't like to be touched much)so I slowly pick her up and she puts her feet out so I tried to put her back down and she starts to go in the cage and she starts to fall down she goes under the houseand lays downs on her eggs she wwon't come back out the rest of the night so I go out the next day and she still won't come out I don't even know if she ate and got water so I go out today and she finally comes out she still limping on it she came out of the cage and fell and just layed in the grass so I went over to her of course she tries to walk away I finally get her and she lets me pick her up and touch the leg but I don't no what to do when I got her the day it happened she was wet so I don't no if maybe she slipped while getting out of the pool or my male hurt her and I only have one cage so I don't have a spot to put her so she can be by herself and safe please helpplease I don't want to loose her but she don t look good

 

[Amiga]

Make a spot for her indoors - it is only temporary, and the more care you can give her now the less time it will take.

Borrow a crate, or make one from sturdy cardboard.

She needs to be where it is quiet, away from the drake, where she can rest. She will probably be helped by soaking her legs in Epsom salt and water.

Please read what Miss Lydia advised on this thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818090/another-limping-duck-thread-with-photos#post_11886704

Keep us updated, please.

 

[duckylove]

Thank you ill try and get her inside if she comes out today but I don't no if she will let me soak her leg but ill try the other day was the first time she let me really pick her up with out freaking out since I put them outside but thank you again

 

[duckylove]

Hey so my little girl is doing better I ended up leaving her out bc she didn't really come out when Iwas home... but she came out yesterday and she is walking alot better she still has a little limp but she gets around just fine I've been putting them back in their cage a little earlier bc I don't want her out too long but all she wants to do is be out with her brother and sisters everyone no and then she will lay down( I'm guessing she got tired or it started bothering her) and get back up and go but thank you again for your advice

 

[Amiga]

Did you treat her at all?

Glad she seems better.

 

[duckylove]

no like I said she didn't really bother to come out at all so I'm starting to think she just pulled something and had to let it rest a little and the other ducks did not bother with her it's like they knew she was hurt bc I was worried about my male bc he always goes after her but she's going really good she came out this morning and they all just laid under the one chair bc its hot didnt even go to the pool

 

[duckylove]

no like I said she didn't really bother to come out she just laid under the house and relaxed im thinking she just pulled something and had to let it rest and the other ducks didn't both with her it's like they knew she was hurt and I was worried about my male bc he always goes after her but he didn't bother with her she came out this morning and they all went under the chair bc its hot didnt even go to the water