Upgrading my duck coop.

[92rslt1]

These quackers are getting bored of the 10x10 so I have been letting them forage in my garden. Last year I dumped their pool every other day into my garden and it grew at a rate never seen before. This year I am adding a little daytime pen with the pool in it. I am going to go around the pool with landscape wood and make it look good. The pool will be direct plumbed in the garden with a ball valve and 2 inch pvc. So when I want to water the garden I can just throw the valve and rinse the tub out. Here is a pic of step one.

 

[7thHeaven]

What a great idea! Thanks for sharing and posting pics. As a newbie, I'll take any advice you can give. Keep posting pictures of your steps!

 

[Daina]

Are your ducks able to get in and out of the pool by themselves? What kind are they?
I will be moving my rouens to their outside pen soon and I am worried it is too high up at 24".

Any thoughts on the coop height?

 

[92rslt1]

Mine are khakis. I made them a little ramp to get into the pool. They are kinda lazy and only resort to flying as a last resort. If the pool is on the ground they usually can just jump in with a little effort, but 24 inches up would require a ramp.

 

[Daina]

I am putting a ramp in, I just was wondering if I should lower the coop. Lots of predators out here, so my man said higher would be better....

 

[TracyLovesDucks]

These quackers are getting bored of the 10x10 so I have been letting them forage in my garden. Last year I dumped their pool every other day into my garden and it grew at a rate never seen before. This year I am adding a little daytime pen with the pool in it. I am going to go around the pool with landscape wood and make it look good. The pool will be direct plumbed in the garden with a ball valve and 2 inch pvc. So when I want to water the garden I can just throw the valve and rinse the tub out. Here is a pic of step one.

I also have a garden and would like to make better use of the rich pool water that my ducks make. But, for some reason my parents and their generation instilled a fear in me of disease spread by farm animals (and traditional food preservation methods). I've been fighting to overcome this somewhat irrational stigma, for example I started canning years ago and once I learned about fermentation and the greater benefits that it offers compared to canning, I now ferment foods (my dad freaked out when I started canning like I was crazy, I can't imagine what he would think about fermentation!).

Anyways, I'll probably just go for it... but I was wondering, were you ever worried about disease spreading to your vegetable garden when you started using poop water to add nutrients to the soil? Do you have any words of wisdom for me?

Maybe this is a strange post, but I wanted to say thanks in advance!

 

[92rslt1]

I have never worried about the fertilizer from the duck pool. It gets applied to the soil then absorbs into the ground and never makes direct contact with the food. I used it all summer last summer with great results and no issues. When I was in school we used feces from 200 rainbow trout to feed our aquaponic strawberry crops, this also worked well. Its hard to tell from the picture, but it's pumped into the dirt and there is a layer of plastic over the soil so it isn't exposed. The water runs in between the plastic and the soil. I dont grow lettuce for that reason though. Lettuce tends to have a greater risk of disease since it is to close to the ground. Also, Cow and horse manure is usually the biggest threat since it is very thick and needs to be composted prior to application. The bird nitrogen is diluted heavily in the pool water. I am more afraid of store bought food then I am of the bird fertilized foods. I also can all my own tomatoes and some other veggies.

One safeguard if you are still concerned and still want to do it is to start a compost pile and apply the nitrogen rich water to the compost. Allow it to compost for a good period of time and that will eliminate any question of contamination.

 

[Sparklecoon]

While I'm still learning the ropes of duck keeping. I have been using my duck water 1-2times a week on my garden. We have radishes and carrots growing in pots so they are the only ones not getting the "plant crack" (as I call it) because of concerns about it touching food directly. Everything else gets watered at ground level.

 

[92rslt1]

I am putting a ramp in, I just was wondering if I should lower the coop. Lots of predators out here, so my man said higher would be better....

He is correct, but even at 4ft if there is a ramp then it wont stop a predator, especially a raccoon. Sadly the only way to fool proof against racoons or fox is a fenced enclosure. Cats are also another big concern. A domestic Tom cat will kill just for fun and they are one of the best hunters known to man. My biggest fear was always my neighbors cats or my own. When I moved my riding mower in the spring I found over 15 rabbit/squirrel/bird carcasses under it.

 

[92rslt1]

While I'm still learning the ropes of duck keeping. I have been using my duck water 1-2times a week on my garden. We have radishes and carrots growing in pots so they are the only ones not getting the "plant crack" (as I call it) because of concerns about it touching food directly. Everything else gets watered at ground level.

Thats a good call! This is a good example of low lying food that should be separated. Plant crack is pretty accurate statement. Its stronger than any miracle grow you can buy at the store.