type of ground for ducks

[LittleBo]

I live at home and my mum isn't too happy with what my ducks have done to the lawn.

I've been looking to move their coop and run onto the decking area which has a built in pond. What are your suggestions?

Thank you in advance for all your comments and advice.

 

[cosbackyard]

That's a tough one. I'm not sure how decking is on duck feet but mine are always walking on our stone, rock, and concrete and they don't seem to mind a bit. I presume that grass/leaves/dirt are better for them though.

What is the deck made of? Is it something you could implement a deep-litter system on top of? That's what I use in their run. Just a bunch of leaves about 4" deep.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

The floor of my pen is bare dirt. It was pea gravel & grass... That didn't last long. Ducks do a number on the yard, so maybe your best bet is just giving them their own area. That's what I did. Ask your Mum if there's an area that she wouldn't mind about, near a shed perhaps? The pond sounds cool but I personally don't want my ducks anywhere near my deck. Guess I'd need to see a pic of the area you're thinking about. And I have no idea how their feet would deal with that. Although I did once see an old photo of ducks that were kept upon wood slats, the idea was that the poo would just fall below. But when I saw that, all I could think of was leg injury! ... So I guess there's that.

 

[LittleBo]

Here is a photo of the area where they will be.
Note that the area will be cleaned and cleared.

I've also thought about putting some tubs of dirt around there where i can put treats etc as they like digging?
What do you think?

 

[LittleBo]

Here is my beautiful ducks

 

[cosbackyard]

Lovely ducks.

If you have to move them up on the deck then it seems like it would be safe for them to walk on. But they'll make a huge, stinky mess of it. Eventually the boards will rot with all of their droppings and I think it would smell badly. You could put straw or something on top of it, but that'll need to be changed frequently, too.

Is there any way you can get away with just sectioning off a part of the lawn for the ducks? They'll destroy it but if you confine them to that area most of the time then the rest of the yard can thrive.