New to duck keeping! Duck Run ideas

[KuhnyBoi]

Hi,

I am new to the whole duck keeping thing and have been doing a lot of searching online lately in preparation for the arrival of my two Cayugas. One thing I have been having trouble figuring out is what to do about my duck run substrate. I have been doing a lot of reading, but everyone seems to have a different opinion for a different reason. I live in Northern Illinois where summers can be horribly hot and winters horribly cold. I also live in the suburbs close to my neighbors. I'm trying to figure out a substrate that will be safe for my ducks to walk on during all seasons but also keep down on smell for my neighbors. Also, I plan on building a shorter run with a top that I can open and walk into and lock down the rest of the time instead of building a tall walk in run. Can anyone shed some light on how much head room my ducks need? They will only be in there when no one is home to supervise. If anyone is in the same boat as me or just has opinions on substrates that'll keep down on smell please shoot me a reply.

PS. I have no clue how much duck poop smells, but if I can get away with stirring my substrate and leaving behind a dirt/organic smell vs a duck poop smell that would be what I'm looking for.

 

[mixedUPturk]

Hey! and keeping ducks! I miss my ducks so much them! Cayuga is my favorite breed. They dont smell so bad to me but i always layered substrate through their pens. Whatever i have be it leaves or grass clippings i add all of it i can then a layer of pine shavings which are super absorbent. I was able to build the ground up real well in two places because theyll make soup out of the ground if given the chance. Another way i combated that was to put their pond on a hardware cloth platform. Then whatever they splash out would have a place to drain away and no mud holes. Kept the pool cleaner for longer too.

 

[KuhnyBoi]

Hey! and keeping ducks! I miss my ducks so much them! Cayuga is my favorite breed. They dont smell so bad to me but i always layered substrate through their pens. Whatever i have be it leaves or grass clippings i add all of it i can then a layer of pine shavings which are super absorbent. I was able to build the ground up real well in two places because theyll make soup out of the ground if given the chance. Another way i combated that was to put their pond on a hardware cloth platform. Then whatever they splash out would have a place to drain away and no mud holes. Kept the pool cleaner for longer too.

So you just use a lot of organic material to build up the ground and prevent digging in the dirt underneath?
I want to build an 8X10 area for them to run around in. I just feel like it would take a lot to build up the ground in that much space. Then again it is only two ducks. I get paranoid because I've read a lot about how much they poop and I want to try to make an area that is easy to clean/maintain.

 

[mixedUPturk]

So you just use a lot of organic material to build up the ground and prevent digging in the dirt underneath?
I want to build an 8X10 area for them to run around in. I just feel like it would take a lot to build up the ground in that much space. Then again it is only two ducks. I get paranoid because I've read a lot about how much they poop and I want to try to make an area that is easy to clean/maintain.

That should be plenty of space and the poop is mostly tough to keep clean in the brooder. Lots of people dont allow enough space in brooders. Ducks grow Fast a plastic tote like most people use as a brooder is only good enough for a short time. Yes i keep adding all orangic matter to decompose on top of the dirt, 2 wheel barrow full of grass clipping should make a good layer in a pen that size theyll stomp it down wet it and then a sack of shavings and so on. They do have a runnier poop than chickens but its totally workable in that space dont get too paranoid, altho a lil bit of paranoia will help keep you ontop of adding to it. They go nuts in a good pool so making sure that drains where they cant create a huge mud hole around it is key IME. Theyll dig with their bills as deep as they can but its not like a dog digs its straight down like a small animals tunnel while theyre foraging. They can tear the ground up like that with a quickness but i still them

 

[mixedUPturk]

Have you heard about how bringing the ducks out all the predators come? For some reason, the smell maybe? The predators start coming out of the woodwork when ducks are introduced.

 

[Duckworth]

I live in a similar climate. Being able to have ground under your substrate rather than a solid surface like wood or concrete gives you more options, since composting in place year round is more realistic over dirt. Moisture and smell go together, so whatever you do to decrease the amount of water on your substrate and increase good drainage will reduce odor. Duck poop does smell quite a bit.

Sand or gravel allows good drainage, but can get very hot or very cold. It is also not conducive to using the substrate as compost.

Cedar shavings give off fumes that are hard on ducks’ respiratory systems, so really aren’t an option for most duck keepers.

Straw is easily waterlogged, as are pine shavings. The worst smell I have experienced was when I put grass clippings in my duck pen. It was horrifying. If your soil drains well and your run is covered so that rain is less of a problem, straw may work fine. You will have to fork it to fluff it daily to keep waste moving toward the soil and to give it enough air to dry and compost.

Put any pool or water in the lowest part of your run and do what you can to add additional drainage to that area. Moisture + odor = flies and mosquitoes, so you will need a strategy to manage those, too. I sprinkle Sweet PDZ stall refresher on my straw when it gets wet and smelly. It helps. I also have fly traps to lessen the fly population.

In winter, my substrate stays frozen for a few months, so odor isn’t an issue and I can’t really do anything but add more straw over the top until the spring thaw, at which point I fork it all out as it thaws and use it to mulch and fertilize my garden beds in preparation for planting. This is best done when rain is imminent so that any odor-causing poop is washed down into the soil quickly. Duck poop does not have to be composted first.

 

[KuhnyBoi]

I live in a similar climate. Being able to have ground under your substrate rather than a solid surface like wood or concrete gives you more options, since composting in place year round is more realistic over dirt. Moisture and smell go together, so whatever you do to decrease the amount of water on your substrate and increase good drainage will reduce odor. Duck poop does smell quite a bit.

Sand or gravel allows good drainage, but can get very hot or very cold. It is also not conducive to using the substrate as compost.

Cedar shavings give off fumes that are hard on ducks’ respiratory systems, so really aren’t an option for most duck keepers.

Straw is easily waterlogged, as are pine shavings. The worst smell I have experienced was when I put grass clippings in my duck pen. It was horrifying. If your soil drains well and your run is covered so that rain is less of a problem, straw may work fine. You will have to fork it to fluff it daily to keep waste moving toward the soil and to give it enough air to dry and compost.

Put any pool or water in the lowest part of your run and do what you can to add additional drainage to that area. Moisture + odor = flies and mosquitoes, so you will need a strategy to manage those, too. I sprinkle Sweet PDZ stall refresher on my straw when it gets wet and smelly. It helps. I also have fly traps to lessen the fly population.

In winter, my substrate stays frozen for a few months, so odor isn’t an issue and I can’t really do anything but add more straw over the top until the spring thaw, at which point I fork it all out as it thaws and use it to mulch and fertilize my garden beds in preparation for planting. This is best done when rain is imminent so that any odor-causing poop is washed down into the soil quickly. Duck poop does not have to be composted first.

 

[KuhnyBoi]

I plan on having a rain cover for my run for weeks when it gets rainy as it has been lately. So you are suggesting I use just a thick layer of straw right on top of the dirt and just give it a quick flip everyday? That makes sense that moisture leads to smell I had a feeling that would be the case that's why I decided to ask the experienced people.

 

[KuhnyBoi]

Have you heard about how bringing the ducks out all the predators come? For some reason, the smell maybe? The predators start coming out of the woodwork when ducks are introduced.

I've never heard that saying, but that does make sense that the smell would draw in curious creatures. I plan on having a camera pointed at the run at all times as I have a couple of neighbors that aren't the best people on the face of the earth. So I'm curious to see what creatures come to investigate. I plan on having the run and coop very predator proof.

 

[Duckworth]

I plan on having a rain cover for my run for weeks when it gets rainy as it has been lately. So you are suggesting I use just a thick layer of straw right on top of the dirt and just give it a quick flip everyday? That makes sense that moisture leads to smell I had a feeling that would be the case that's why I decided to ask the experienced people.

Yes, though you may even want to start with a layer of compost to give the composting process a jump start. Your initial straw layer doesn’t have to be super thick. You can expect to add additional straw to areas with a heavier poop load about once a week or more often if it gets too wet. Fluffing it daily will help with evaporation of excess moisture and help poop work it’s way farther down in the compost. Aeration is an important part of the composting process, as is some level of moisture, but a wet compost “pile” doesn’t compost efficiently. The straw is a “brown” and the poop is a “green” in the composting mix.

I think there are reasons not to add extra earthworms to your substrate. I think there is a disease carried by earthworms that can be harmful to ducks, but I don’t remember more than that. I don’t think there is a reason to try to get rid of naturally occurring earthworms, but adding more to improve composting isn’t indicated in a duck run.

You could do essentially the same thing with pine shaving instead of straw, but in my area, straw is cheaper and quite plentiful.