I have 5 Welsh Harlequins coming next week, so I'm working fast on finishing my hubby's coop and run that he built for me. They have a small coop built inside a small run, as they will be freerange on the pond during the day. question is. He built the coop, with no bottom, it has wire on the bottom to prevent things from digging up into it. solid sides, a small window and nest box area. Will it be okay having the open floor concept? There will be bedding of course. I've done alot of reading as far as the messiness of them, and wonder if the open concept is a better idea then the solid floor.
I guess it depends on the soil. Is it absorbent enough or does is hold on to the water and lets it sit there. Regardless any soil with hold water and you may end up with problems when it rains outside, or when the temps are not good enough for the wet to dry out. This also depends on how large the house is and how many ducks you have. Only time will tell. My duck house has concrete pavers inside covered with floor mats to protect their feet. Hose stall barn mats are 3/4 inch thick and insulate. The water and food are in a pan so the water will get caught there. I use pine shavings on the floor, which I clean out daily with a scrub floor brush with long broom handle from Homedepot. So far no water mess on the floor and no flies either. Flies become an issue when it stays wet. That is the reason I do not use the deep litter method. I know it insulates, but so do stall mats.
There are 5 ducks. 7ft x 2/2.5 ft. I 'm guesttimating. the winters are mild here. I live on Vancouver Island. I might price out some rubber mats, as my coop is the style, where the whole top flips up, so I clean it from above. I'll try to see what I can find. debating between straw and shavings as well. and from what I've read, many don't feed in the coop overnight.
There is a picture in the this forum from a member who build a box to the outside of his duck house with hardware cloth as a floor. The ducks have to go out there to eat and drink, and therefore keep the coop cleaner. I feed and water mine at night, and I think that is an incentive for them to go inside all by themselves. All I do is close the door at night. Your coop is nice and small. I think a stall mat and pine shaving will work well. It is easy to broom out. Another thing that makes me worry about things staying wet, like hay, is mold. Mold is toxic to ducks and they can die from it. I figured the cleaner and dryer the better. I think they love to come home to a nice clean house for the night. Well that is human thinking, who knows what the ducks think.
so pine shavings recommended over straw then?? sounds good to me. now to price out some mats. thanks for your help
Our feed store had 4x6" mats for 60 dollars each. Little bit pricey, but I like them for insulation. We live at 4000 feet and it does get cold up here in winter. You can also go to Home Depot in the carpet isle and get a black rubber runner mat for $12.95. They work great too and are sold in a roll. I think they are 2 feet wide and 8 feet long. Not 100% sure. I have 3 of them. What I like it that they have grooves in them so the ducks get a good grip walking on them. I would suggest to put a floor underneath them since they are thinner. Oh there is nothing wrong with hay, I just love the pine shavings. I dump them with the poo underneath my shrubs where they become instant mulch.
