Outdoor bedding?!?!? Anyone

[DuckyLovin2]

Okay so getting daisy and daffys outdoor pen figured out

Having trouble getting a def answer on the base layer of the pen

Sand? Do they eat it and die?
Gravel? Do they also eat it and die
Cement with bedding? Worth it or still to hard ?
The ground itself? Dirty? Muddy?

I get something that's easy to clean but what's the best !??
Professionals

 

[carlyducks]

I used to have my ducks on the ground covered in straw.. It got muddy and the straw caked onto the ground when wet and was a huge pain to rake up. Although that seems to be what most people do, I am moving them onto cement but still going to cover it with straw. it will just now be much easier to rake it up off the cement.

 

[AngieMaesChix]

Following..I have the same question going in my mind..we’re building our duck house run now..won’t be long and my two stinkers can go outside..I’ve seen lots of sand then straw on top so far this is what I’m thinking..or I thought maybe the horse/larger animal bedding it’s soft and super absorbent ..and maybe some straw around that or not? Not sure it would be needed..

 

[DuckyLovin2]

A couple of ppl have used the cement with bedding
I just have doubts about the gravel and sand like my ducks might be to dumb not to eat it I love them but they eat everything

 

[llombardo]

I'm gettinv ready to build the house for them. I'm putting rubber roofing over the wood(easy to clean) on the foor of house and straw will be piled on top of that.

 

[AngieMaesChix]

Ahh I like that idea some type of rubber over the wood in the coop I don’t really know what rubber roofing is but I’m gonna definitely look into it..thanks @llombardo!!
@DuckyLovin2 yes I’m afraid mine my eat the sand as well lol

 

[chickens really]

Hello..I use sand in my runs. I have a base of gravel underneath for drainage and sand over top. They won't eat the sand. I only use straw in the winter in one corner of my runs to keep them warm when outside. Straw rots really fast..

 

[llombardo]

Ahh I like that idea some type of rubber over the wood in the coop I don’t really know what rubber roofing is but I’m gonna definitely look into it..thanks @llombardo!!
@DuckyLovin2 yes I’m afraid mine my eat the sand as well lol

A roofer I know gave me enough to do rubber roofing and put in the house. He also gave me a roll of roofing paper. So I got options.

 

[AngieMaesChix]

A roofer I know gave me enough to do rubber roofing and put in the house. He also gave me a roll of roofing paper. So I got options.

We have a roofer friend as well gonna have give him a call

 

[lazy gardener]

You might look into a product called Black Jack for your coop floors. It's a rubberized roofing material that you paint on.

As for the run. I don't have ducks, but I'd be using deep litter, if I did have ducks! I also might make a slatted raised platform to put their "kiddie pool" on, if I was using a kiddie pool, and perhaps rig a drain so that when it was emptied, it would drain across the lawn instead of into their DL in the run.