Runner Ducks and stinkiness

[muddipuppy]

I have read the infamous "Gross truth about Ducks" and am now still thinking of getting a pair of runners for bug control. My one question is this; do they smell? I mean really bad?

I've heard that duck poop is much stinkier than chicken poop. Is that true? Will my small suburban yard stink if I get these birds?

 

[jdywntr]

Depends on your upkeep of the yard. I'm in FL and its usually so hot and dry everything dries up quickly. Now with all of the rain we are having it is a bit more odorous. This time of year requires more upkeep from me. I have 5 chickens and at one point 7 adult Runners and never had a problem with odor.
The flooring in your run will also make a difference. Alot of people here use gravel, easy to rinse down. I would not expect to much odor from only 2 ducks unless they are confined in too small of an area that is not cleaned.

 

[LemonDoodles]

I have two in a pen of about 5 x 10. I have no problem with stinkiness. A dog is way worse.

 

[Wifezilla]

Only ducklings stink in general. Their down gets a certain FUNK to it. Once they are feathered out, the smell depends on YOU, not them. Ducks like to keep themselves pretty neat and tidy. If they have enough space or you clean their area properly, they aren't stinky. I have a stinky pen now, but that is because of all the rain we have had and I am temporarily over my optimum duck limit for the run size. Some drakes are going to the processor next week and I have a few people buying some of the extra girls, so I should be back to a nice pen in no time.

 

[RunnerWhisperer]

I only have two runners and I would have to agree with everyone here that if there is no up keep on the poo, it could get stinky.

I clean my duck pen and little wading pool nightly. Their pond does get pretty smelly if I miss a changing so I try to not do that unless we go out of town. Sometimes I walk around the yard and hose any poo I see into the grass.

Sometimes they come into the sun room to hang out and of course poo in there. Because it is a smaller area, you can smell the poo pretty bad if it doesn't get picked up right away. When they were little babies, I had them in there at night. I would lay down butcher paper and then their straw. Every morning it would be super stinky in there, but after I rolled up the bedding and poo and cleaned the floor, the smell would go away.