Substrate for run that houses ducks and chickens?

[Chickenkeepr]

Hey all. We've got 11 hens and 2 female Pekin ducks. Our coop is 8x8 with an attached 8x8 run that has a roof over it. The ducks are out all day, and the girls get let out when I get home from work (I kept telling them to quit wandering!). The coop has linoleum over OSB on the floor, bedded with a mixture of pine shavings and straw (probably about 6in deep right now). The run currently has about 3 inches of #1 granite. The soil here is hard and sucks for draining (thank you clay). I figured I could just rake/hose the poop out every couple days and it would eventually drain out. Well, that didn't work. I think it wouldn't be as bad without the ducks, but they seem to make everything a huge mess. I'll probably let the gravel go until spring when I can get something else but what do I get? We have a quarry close that has mason sand but I still worry about the ducks making a mess at night. I'd like something that is easy to clean (pick or hose) to help keep the smell down. We don't plan on getting any more birds so that won't be an issue. Any suggestions/pictures would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Chickenkeepr]

Just giving this a bump back up

 

[Emma Miriam]

Hm...I know lots of people use construction grade sand in their runs, and clean it out often with a big kitty litter scooper. That could work. You could also use a deep litter like you're starting in your coop...since your run is covered it shouldn't get too wet, though you may have to stir and add litter frequently with your ducks.

Hope that helps!

 

[Presley4eva]

I have pine mulch in the run, from a tree we
took down last year, that I put on top of the sand. Every so often I hose it down and throw more on top. Low smell, drains well and a great use for my mulch pile!

 

[aart]

Hey all. We've got 11 hens and 2 female Pekin ducks. Our coop is 8x8 with an attached 8x8 run that has a roof over it. The ducks are out all day, and the girls get let out when I get home from work (I kept telling them to quit wandering!). The coop has linoleum over OSB on the floor, bedded with a mixture of pine shavings and straw (probably about 6in deep right now). The run currently has about 3 inches of #1 granite. The soil here is hard and sucks for draining (thank you clay). I figured I could just rake/hose the poop out every couple days and it would eventually drain out. Well, that didn't work. I think it wouldn't be as bad without the ducks, but they seem to make everything a huge mess. I'll probably let the gravel go until spring when I can get something else but what do I get? We have a quarry close that has mason sand but I still worry about the ducks making a mess at night. I'd like something that is easy to clean (pick or hose) to help keep the smell down. We don't plan on getting any more birds so that won't be an issue. Any suggestions/pictures would be greatly appreciated!

All I know about ducks is that the water management aspect is a real challenge.

You might want to ask and/or take a look in the duck forum here for solutions.
I saw one guy who had large sumps with grates, and large drain pipes ending outside the run, to put the ducks water on.

Cleaning any kind of poop out of gravel is going to be a nightmare, it'll just settle in until the gravel is saturated with dissolved and pulverized poops.

 

[Chickenkeepr]

Thanks everyone! Our soil SUCKS for drainage. The more I think of sand, the more I worry about it starting to stink. My hope with the gravel was that I could just hose it down and the icky stuff would drain out/wash away. I wasn't that lucky lol. As much as I enjoy the duck eggs, once these 2 girls are gone, no more ducks. During the winter I will have to block the water trough up so they can't get in it but can still drink it. They are out all day and in at night and have a kiddie pool outside. I generally change water and scrub tubs twice a day for everyone. The run is covered, but with our wind/weather here it does still get quite wet in there from time to time. Would that be an issue with mulch?

 

[Emma Miriam]

I'd imagine mulch would get wet just like other beddings, but I suppose if you stir it up and add more frequently, it could work. Have you tried putting 4-6 mil plastic sheeting over the windy side of the run to block some of the rain? That might help. Of course, the ducks will spill water of their own.

Speaking of which, what waterer are you using for the ducks? I know I saw a really neat duck waterer recently. I can't find it now, but it was similar to this duckling waterer:



It looked like that, with a hole cut in it so the ducks could drink and dunk their heads but couldn't make as much of a mess. It was for grown ducks, though, so it must have been bigger than a gallon...maybe it was made out of a cooler of some sort? The concept at least seems interesting. And perhaps you could use a nipple waterer for the chickens. The more you can minimize moisture in the bedding, the easier your run will be to manage.

 

[Tortrefarm]

I have had many birds all together, chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks, in a 40x40 foot pen for almost 30 years. It was for many of those years a dirt pen but over time the manure was concentrating as I had no real way to remove it and every time it rained it became a murky swamp. I solved this problem by retrofitting the pen with drainage and stall mats. I created a grade of several inches from the back to the front of the pen by first laying about two inches of small gravel screenings, raking to create a grade, then putting a two inch layer of sand over that. That was followed by an application of weed cloth to prevent the sand from shifting up through the seams and the sprouting of weeds. Around the perimeter, except for the back, I created a 4 inch by 4 inch trench and in that laid channel drain from Lowe’s. The channel drain comes with optional connectors and elbows so you can surround the entire pen. I didn’t use the grate that comes with it so the channel is open. Around the perimeter, just inside of the channel drain and flush with the ground I lay plastic walkway border that was left over from when I laid the stone walkway (comes in 8 foot lengths). The border is just slightly above the stall mats when they are finally laid. The spade side of the border is laid on the ground and the border which would show if it were the walkway, now is at the edge of the channel drain perpendicular to the ground - this will help prevent the stall mats from shifting over the drains- the height of the border. I used steel pins to anchor the border. I cut a two inch notch about every two feet to allow the water to flow through into the channel drain. I finally laid stall mats over the entire surface. For those of you thinking the black rubber will get too hot in the summer, that has not been an issue - I live in eastern Pennsylvania where we have had weeks of 90 degree weather with no discernible issue with the mats. The stall mats can be swept with a broom, hosed off or pressure washed to keep them clean. I have had this system in place for eight years and it has been a real time saver and keeps the yard clean. I installed this in just two days myself with one other person. It was a real investment in sand, gravel and especially stall mats and channel drain but it has been really worth it and has held up well during winters. I have no doubt this will hold up at least another ten years without any maintenance.