Seeking advice regarding Duck lodging... plus some project sharing

[dlhunicorn]

well, here is an idea for you (dependent on how much land you have to play with altho if you are only planning a few ducks this might work for you (keeping in mind its main purpose is to provide a safe water environment for your ducks) :
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/nwl/2002/2002-1-leoletter/furuno.htm

...if you create this environment for your ducks , do it a distance away from your moms decorative pond... fencing need not be "ugly"... often a simple row of wooden poles is enough of a deterant (and the occasional duck visit would not kill it)
I must say that I think you are on the right track with planning to integrate all the different elements (water, animals, lanscaping, fertilizer, etc) together where at all possible.

 

[moenmitz]

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Glad I could help. Wanted to point out though, I don't put litter on top of the gravel-I don't use any bedding now except for the rubber backed mat in their house. I tried shavings at first, but what happens is when you hose the house out (even after removing the shavings) there are always some left, and they wont wash down the rocks, so you end up with some yucky looking clogged up rocks. All you really need for them is something absorbent to keep the poo from running all over their den, and the rug is padded a bit and soft, so it is comfy for them as well. The pea gravel and river rock are both rounded and smooth, so it is not uncomfortable for them to lay on or walk on at all-they often curl up on the rock instead of in their house even, so I know they don't mind a bit. So, just to clarify, mat goes in the house, rock goes in the pen-litter can stay at the store!

I don't mind not buying a bag of shavings every other day now!

 

[moenmitz]

Forgot to add, I like the rain barrel idea. I was thinking of doing the same, only since our house is uphill from the pond, I thought I could make a hole in the bottom of the barrel, attach a garden hose, and let gravity feed the pond as well. I just haven't GOTTEN to it yet-add it to the list of things to do, lol! Don't know if that would work in your situation, but maybe you wouldn't have to use a pump if it did.

Oh, and with your stream idea- if you could enclose the area, a goose or two would take care of any grass of weeds growing in it so you woudln't have to mow it. (Cause I am sure you need MORE poopy birds!)

 

[White Elk]

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Just two ducks for now. Though we may consider letting them raise up a few ducklings.

I love the idea of balancing human needs with environmental concerns by creating custom micro-ecology's like the ducks and the rice. Many many years ago in elementary school I was fascinated learning how fish assist in rice farms and how those fish are also harvested for food. That thought has stuck with me all these years. I am limited to what I can do on my parents property. I wish I could buy my own land to caretake. Though they do have a swamp which perhaps the county and feds would help subsidize it into a working wetlands. Possibly with todays environmental concerns.. some grant money along with talent from Washington State University could assist by using that chunk of land as a model for neo-historical agriculture. Who knows.. might be worth a shot! Lord knows the people of this planet need some new methods for feeding themselves!! And I'd like nothing more than to free myself from a communal system which I think morally and logically wrong in the way it feeds and entertains itself!



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Your system sounds ideal for your situation. But in some places of my chicken/duck yard I think I want some dirt under their feet. For around the ducks pen pond and around their food/water I want pure pea gravel over the cheaper crushed gravel for sure! I'll use some landscaping/drain fabric between the two. But in other parts of the yard I think I'd like a good layer of dirt for the chickens to scratch at. Under the dirt/straw/chip layer will be drain fabric to keep the dirt from clogging the gravel. But the water will still flow down and out. I'll have bits and pieces of the drain fabric left over from another drainage project, and I've already got some leftovers of it. The poop and small bits of litter which work into the dirt will help attract bugs for them to hunt, and that will make them very happy when they must be penned. I think the litter will somewhat be cleaned with the pressure washer cleanings, though I do expect to rake and replace it fairly often. Through the summer I intend to replace some of the straw with home harvested grass. And I've a few yards of home harvested chips I can use for now. And I worked with the guys who did our forestry work and have a good repore with them. Perhaps they will let me have some of their softwood chips from time to time? I'll see how it all works out. But I would definitely prefer a layer of dirt between their feet and the gravel drain if I can help it.


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I am thinking of adding an above ground barrel(s) to the garage downspouts to use as a source for the pen cleanings (or maybe just for extra pond water storage) Those would be above ground and can overflow into the pond barrel(s). Every bit of free and unprocessed water helps. I would like to place the pond barrel(s) underground due to space and aesthetic concerns. Though that does require pumping them. But I've got a high performance pump leftover from a grey water problem thats since been fixed. It'll be nice to put that investment to work again lol. Will take just a minute to clear a barrel. I've still got a lot of thinking to do on all this. And I've got plenty of laboring to do while I think it lol.


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Hehe we think alike. I had a friend who raised Pigs. We all lived in the backcountry and worked with each other from time to time. He would charge a small fee or a barter to bring his pigs and his pre-fab pen to someones property. They'd pen the pigs up in a future garden spot and let the pigs clear the land, churn the earth, and fertilize it. Next spring it was ready to go. I'd like to get a goat to help with the blackberry and stinging nettle war, but a goat now would be a bit much. But Geese.. hmmm....

 

[White Elk]

Heres a simplified pic of how I'd like to arrange the watering system to help feed the pond. This may not happen due to cost of the water tanks. Perhaps auctions and Craigs List etc will yeild some cheap tanks. I like the idea very much. But my folks don't seem as interested in it as I. I like how we could use less treated water. And I like how the water we would use, would be used multiple times. The pen cleaning water would be used three times! And if I were to add rain collection barrels at the house, then I could use that water to clean the pens. It rains alot here but nowhere near enough to meet all the water needs. But every bit helps. And not having to run some of that water through a processing plant is a big deal to me.

Not sure how much the hill seepage water will yeild but that water needs to be evacuated from beneath the retaining wall anyway. The pen cleaning water must be routed away from the buildings and the pen. And the rain water from the garage roof has to go somewhere. I think it wise to invest in collecting this water and using it! And then when I clean the pond, that water will go to water a variety of planting beds. It makes sense to me to take the time to tie all this free water into the pond, and then use the pond as our irrigation source. I hope I can do this the way I see it. If not then it will have to wait until I can finally purchase my own land and balance it the way I think it should be.

 

[White Elk]

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We finally figured out what they are... Indian Runner Ducks. hehe The way they stand up is kind of funny looking in a charming sort of way. They are neat ducks... but aren't they all?

 

[White Elk]

An update to Ducks being willing to sleep under the Chickens coop....

They love it! They had free range in the backyard and would choose to kick back next to the cooped up Chickens.
So I made their temp pen to give them access to the area under the coop and thats where they like to rest.


You can see them laying just behind the black Chickens...

It's a tight squeeze getting out but nothing a good stretch won't fix...