water/feed in the coop

[chilly]

do any of you put water or feed in the coop when your ducks are put away for the night???
a lot of people say that its not advisable because of the mess the little blighters make.

can they go all night without water? don't they need to wash their bill and dip their heads.

any advice would be greatly appreciated as my ducks will probably be going outside, permanantly some time over the next week.

 

[happytxchick]

I'm sorry I cannot tell you...I only have chickens...hopefully someone else will respond. I would like to know as well since I may get ducks at a later time.

 

[becky3086]

My duck house is built onto my duck pen so mine have water in their pen all the time. If they are in a dry coop,without food, I don't see why they would need water at night.

 

[10ducks]

As long as they don't have food, they are fine without water for the night. About which I am VERY glad, because if I had to keep water in their coop at night I just don't think I could keep ducks--what a mess they make!

 

[hendrix25]

I give my ducks water every night but i don't have any type of bedding put down for them. here's their coop:

I tried the bedding at first but it got smelly and full of fire ants with two days. So I took it out and they sleep on the bare wood now. Plus it's so much easier to clean out. I just spray out their poop in the mornings, there are very small gaps between the wood planks that allows the poopy water to escape. But this won't work for everyone. I give mine water just because it doesn't create a mess for me. But I've read on here that many ppl don't give either at night and there ducks are perfectly fine. Just remember if you decide to give them food, they have to have water!

Good luck!

 

[LittleSquidgenHome]

Once my babies hit 12 weeks I took away food and water in the night pen. They are cooped for about 10 hours and they are just fine. If it is going to be more than 10 hours I do put in a pan of water, but they are just so messy when bored.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Sounds as if your ducks are pretty much grown if you are planning on putting them outside permanently. So, I'd say go ahead skip the water and food in the coop unless they're going to be shut in more than 10 or 12 hrs. or it's really hot through the night.

I put both food and water in the duck houses at night ...BUT.... I have mixed age groups. I do put a shallow tray under both the waterers and feeders which helps to catch spillage. Once ALL the ducks are fully feathered out I still have water but in a 1 gallon chicken waterer and a small tray of scratch grain. I noticed that there are some nights most everything gets eaten/drunk and other nights where it doesn't look as if they touched much of anything. It's the young ones who are hungry since they are still growing so fast.