so do they really smell that badly??/living near chickens?

[MagsC]

There are smellier things than ducks....cats for instance. Phew.
That said, I change the ducks bedding at least twice a week. Of course there are only two of them.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

I HIGHLY recommend Pine Bedding Pellets with ducks! I use them in my makeshift temporary duck house and just turn once a week so we usually have dry bedding. Last month I made the badddd mistake of leaving their water bowl in and ended up with a frozen mess so I've had to wait until today to clean the duck house which now really does need a clean and is quite stinky lol.

Never again will I leave their water in there, I also take their feed out at night. I use a tupperware container for feed (a fairly large one) and put a lid on it at night and stick it in the chicken coop, in the morning I put it back out, lid off, and they have a bowl of hot water outside their house during the day in the winter.

My ducks free range and fertilize the lawn all day long lol so I just let them be, and when it rains the poop sinks it. Its allllllllll good.

 

[Wifezilla]

I was reading about using Deep Litter and they say you can change it just twice a year! Could it really be that easy?

I only do a total change over 4 times a year. How many times you have to do it will depend on your climate, how many ducks you have, the drainage in your run, etc...

but yeah...it can be that easy.​

 

[fisharescary]

Quote:
I only do a total change over 4 times a year. How many times you have to do it will depend on your climate, how many ducks you have, the drainage in your run, etc...

but yeah...it can be that easy.

Sweet. Do you have a link a good guide?

 

[Wifezilla]

No...just read posts on here about deep litter and gave it a try.

 

[peachie]

i have my ducks and chickens together i think the ducks think they are chickens yes they are messy but so are my chocks and my dog duck poo is about the size of a small dogs poo they can be noisey my pekin is always going on about some thing

but they have so much personality the duck them self are clean the fethers are always spotless its just the small dog size poo

 

[Wifezilla]

And extensive thread on the deep litter method....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=70

Just a note though...with chickens, they scratch in the litter and tend to stir things up. This helps the litter and poo break down. Ducks just trample and flatten everything. That is why I think chicken owners are getting away with 1 or 2 changes a year and I am doing 4.

 

[RedfogsFlock]

When we first got our ducks it was unexpected so we had to put them in with the chickens for a day or so till we got them a pen built. Well now we've had em awhile, and they actually prefer the chicken coop! Our chickens don't seem to mind when the ducks decide they want to "sleep over" and if they are sleeping in the coop at lock down we just leave them there.

We haven't had any problems, or any smells.
I think the smell comes down to cleanliness of the coops, and how they are cared for. Our ducks don't stink, and are very clean.

 

[Wifezilla]

Well, ducks DO clean themselves by taking any mess on themselves and transferring it to everything around them