Stinky ducks!

[toadpondpanic]

Hello everyone!

This is my first year with ducks and we decided to go big. We have a flock of 15 (cayugas, rouens, mallards, welsh harlequins, one fawn/white runner, and one black Swedish). They have been free ranging most of the summer and are penned at night where they had a large shipping crate house to go in at night. There were gaps between the boards and I used pine shavings on the floor- smell was never an issue. I live in the northern midwest where we have at least an entire month of below-zero temps every year. Knowing the shipping crate would not be sufficient in these conditions, we decided to build a 8' x 12' insulated duck castle. This thing is basically a tiny home.

Well, the duck castle was moved into place last night, straw was spread on the floor, and the ducks were put inside (I imagine it will take some persuading before they will willingly use the ramp on their own). They were not in there for 5 minutes and we could already notice a considerable STINK. We cracked all the windows and left them to settle down. The duck house has plenty of ventilation- vented soffit on two sides and three full-size windows.

This morning, the smell was even worse. Given this is their first night in a new house, it is probably quite stressful for them. Is it possible that they are producing some sort of stress response that smells more than their regular bowl movements? I realize that their poop stinks but after just 5 minutes of being in there the smell was very noticeable.

They are fed Mazuri Waterfowl Maintenance and supplemented with scratch grains and a variety of fresh veggie treats.

I'm thinking of shoveling all the straw out and just doing pine shavings to see if it helps with the smell. A coworker mentioned some sort of powder that can be sprinkled around to reduce the smell but I am having a hard time finding which to buy. Most are marketed for chicken coops- not sure if they are the "high-octane" formula that I am looking for.

I'm open to any and all suggestions! I really don't want to be cleaning the bedding daily in there. It just seems like there has to be another solution.

Thanks in advance! Attached are a few photos from this summer.

 

[KaleIAm]

The "powder" your friend is talking about might be sweet pdz. It comes in powder or granules. I like granules because it feels safer to sensitive avian respiratory systems. It really does help with the smell.

 

[toadpondpanic]

The "powder" your friend is talking about might be sweet pdz. It comes in powder or granules. I like granules because it feels safer to sensitive avian respiratory systems. It really does help with the smell.

Thank you!

 

[KaleIAm]

I had another thought - and this could have nothing to do with your stinky issue. I have three ducks. Two eat Mazuri waterfowl only, and one eats scratch and some Mazuri (for health reasons, recommended by vet.) The one who eats the scratch has remarkably stinky poop. The two that don't eat scratch do not. I brought up the stinky poop with the vet and she told me it was probably the difference in diet. But this could just be my duck.

Regarding bedding, most members here have strong feelings about their preference. I found wood shavings to be easier to work with and require less frequent changing (due to both wetness and smell), but my poor ducks were constantly getting bumblefoot sores. Eventually I asked my vet how to prevent bumbles and she told me to switch bedding to hay or straw. I did and haven't had bumblefoot since, even though it has been years. I have messaged with other members who love wood shavings and have not experienced bumblefoot in their flock - but for my birds it was a huge issue. I'm happy to change out their straw frequently to save them the pain of foot sores.

Edit: I love your photos!

 

[toadpondpanic]

I had another thought - and this could have nothing to do with your stinky issue. I have three ducks. Two eat Mazuri waterfowl only, and one eats scratch and some Mazuri (for health reasons, recommended by vet.) The one who eats the scratch has remarkably stinky poop. The two that don't eat scratch do not. I brought up the stinky poop with the vet and she told me it was probably the difference in diet. But this could just be my duck.

Regarding bedding, most members here have strong feelings about their preference. I found wood shavings to be easier to work with and require less frequent changing (due to both wetness and smell), but my poor ducks were constantly getting bumblefoot sores. Eventually I asked my vet how to prevent bumbles and she told me to switch bedding to hay or straw. I did and haven't had bumblefoot since, even though it has been years. I have messaged with other members who love wood shavings and have not experienced bumblefoot in their flock - but for my birds it was a huge issue. I'm happy to change out their straw frequently to save them the pain of foot sores.

Edit: I love your photos!

Thank you so much for your reply. I think I will cut out scratch grains for a week or two and see if that makes a difference. I will play around with the bedding and try adding in the sweet pdz.

 

[chicken1234]

You know when I had quail I fed game bird feed and the smell their droppings produced gagged me to the point I sold them. I do think now it was the feed. Mine are on duck starter right now and there is hardly any smell. I have mine on a thick layer of pine shavings with hay on top. I have been rolling up the soiled hay and replacing it with fresh.

 

[igorsMistress]

You know when I had quail I fed game bird feed and the smell their droppings produced gagged me to the point I sold them. I do think now it was the feed. Mine are on duck starter right now and there is hardly any smell. I have mine on a thick layer of pine shavings with hay on top. I have been rolling up the soiled hay and replacing it with fresh.

I’m with you on the quail. They are incredibly stinky!
I’ve read about this method and plan to try it.

 

[toadpondpanic]

So I've cut out the scratch grains for about a week and they are noticeably less smelly! Thank you all for your insights. With the last bedding change I switched the straw out for pine shavings. I will post an update with the progress.

 

[KaleIAm]

So I've cut out the scratch grains for about a week and they are noticeably less smelly! Thank you all for your insights. With the last bedding change I switched the straw out for pine shavings. I will post an update with the progress.

Thanks for the update!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

I'm a big fan of Mazuri feed because of the lack of smell.