New ducks

[3bird]

Yes we must try shaving then hay is great for the hens not so good for ducks.

We have good success with a mix of shavings and straw. We start the deep litter with several bags of shavings at the start of the season, and then we usually just add straw after that. They seem happier when there is more straw, as that seems to be their preferred nesting material. We don't find it difficult to clean at all.

 

[3bird]

Only have 5 ducks including drake. 7 is the number of hens. They seem to have lots of room. They walk around quite happy in there. I will switch to shaving and see if that works. The drake won't leave the ducks so can't feed them separately. They don't really eat very much but love the water. In when dark only and out at sunrise. And have lots of space during the day.

I still think the duckhouse may be a bit too small. If you have roughly 16 square feet for five ducks, that's only 3.2 square feet per bird. I think most people will tell you want at least four square feet per bird.

Like I said above, we use a combo of shavings and straw. Shavings is the base layer, and then we just keep adding straw all winter (and spot cleaning 2x/day). Our ducks don't like just shavings, as it's not as good for making nests.

If they are all eating together, you do NOT want to feed a layer feed. You want to feed an all-flock or maintenance feed and then make sure the girls have access to oyster shells in a separate bowl.