Questions from a duck "noob"

[Gigglebox]

Smart thinking looks cozy in there!

I'm going to be trying out a trough meant to feed goats. It will be attached to the side of our shed and elevated so they can't climb in...problem is it only holds 2 gallons so I'll definitely need a couple,but wanted to see how this works out before i bought a bunch!

 

[Amiga]

I just had a worry (I am a worrier). What if they hop in and cannot hop out? Ducks have drowned in water buckets.

 

[Gigglebox]

Its long and shallow, don't think they'd drown...but additionally it's got these metal bars across it width wise that will hopefully keep them out...hold on I'll try to get a photo

 

[Gigglebox]

 

[Amiga]

I may just be having an off night, but I have seen ducks get themselves into the most unlikely, unimaginable trouble with wire gaps that size.

Something I do is when I introduce a new gizmo to the flock, I watch for 20 minutes or so (I know, how nice to have such luxury of time

) just to see if they start to get themselves into trouble.

Or perhaps someone else uses this - and has no problem.

 

[Gigglebox]

I'll for sure observe them, thank you for the advice!

 

[Jennn27]

I have that same trough for my goats, and my ducks' favorite past-time is to hop around in there.

Mine is on the ground though since the goats like to climb UP it to try to get out of the pen. Oy. I would just be REALLY careful! Ducks are definitely mischievous!

 

[DucksAndGardens]

So just a comment on a couple of things and then my set up.

I wouldn't use hay at all. Hay will mold really quickly. Stick to straw or shavings. Less mold growth with those two.

Secondly, that goat trough you have, I tried one just like it when I had my ducks about 4 years ago and I almost had a duck drown because he squeezed his fat butt in between the wire guard and then got stuck and couldn't get out then got waterlogged and exhausted and cold. Thankfully I found him in time, he must have been there for hours before I got home, and I was able to dry him off with the hair dryer and revive him but since then I won't use those water troughs for ducks. I bought a 125 gallon water trough and built a ramp up to it so they can get in and out of the water to clean off and then I drain it into my garden or holding tank for my garden. I clean it out about every 2 days in the summer because they can make a mess. Right now I have the front opening rubber maid containers with the 5 quart feed pan inside and a milk jug gravity waterer inside to keep the ducks from climbing in the pan.

Right now my new flock is only 4 weeks old going on 5 weeks and they make a hell of a mess. I clean their "pen" every day because of the mess they make and I only have 11 ducks.

As for the bedding, my duck run is a dog run, 32 feet by 6 feet, wood fencing on the long sides and then the dog kennel panels at each end. I have hardware cloth from the ground up to about 3 feet on the panels because I've had a raccoon problem in the past. I used welded wire fencing across the top to keep out the winged predators and the racoons. The pen is 7 feet tall. Since I don't live in an area with extreme weather I don't actually have a full house for the ducks. They have a lean to area in the back with plastic greenhouse panels over the top to keep off the rain. I have a 6'X8' "deck" made of pallets that I cover with straw and There's a extra large dog gloo up on the deck. I have home depot buckets modified to lie flat on the decking that are used for nesting boxes. I put straw in those as well. The rest of the pen is covered in wood chips and then I have a plastic dog deck right in front of the door to cut down on the mud and tracking at the entrance of the coop. During the day the ducks free range either in my yard or across the street in my garden. I have portable fencing panels I use to keep them penned in the area I want them to patrol.

I also bought some cameras off of Amazon that I've installed in the duck run and across the street so I can monitor what the ducks are doing. I plan on getting them for other areas as well. They have a wireless capability so I can stream the feed at work and keep tabs on them when I'm not home.

 

[Ducky07]

Based on my experience raising 10 ducks within the last year...

1. If given access to a pond/pool, do they also need separate drinking water?
Yes! Although a pool/pond will be good insuring they have clean water is important. Ducks are quick to make everything messy. I kept reading/hearing that statement when I ventured out to raise ducks last year and it is VERY true. Filling a dog dish with water will not cut it because within a few minutes it will be filled with mud. I use a high sided five gallon bucket with a rock for them to stand on next to it. Giving them access to multiple water sources helps.

2. How much food, i.e. Cups per duck, can I expect to feed in a day?
I allow my flock to free-range when weather permits, this helps reduce the amount of store-bought food they consume. Typically I allow them 24/7 access to a full plastic dog bowl of food. (With the addition of fresh veggie clippings or frozen peas for treats)

3. How often do you muck out their house (we intend to use hay for bedding, and compost it when they are done with it)?
I would not use hay for bedding, use straw. Straw is lighter and easier to clean. You can still compost hay, we use it for fertilizer in our green house. Duck poop can be applied to a garden instantly! It doesn't need to break down like chicken poop. In the wintertime I was cleaning the coop every two days because the ducks were locked inside at night to keep in their body heat. The weather has warmed up so now every week or two? They only go inside to eat and lay eggs when they have access to the outside. Good luck!

 

[Gigglebox]

Gah, my bad, i definitely meant straw, not hay! And while we're on it, i found a local guy selling rolled bales for $35. Is that a good price? And should i be looking for boxed bales rather than rolled, or does that matter?

Thanks again for all the extra info!