What’s the best bedding/substrate to use for an outdoor pen and very messy ducks?

[LtDanFan]

I finally was able to move my 7 female ducklings outside and introduced them to my (previously) lone pekin probably drake. I knew ducks were messy but these guys are ridiculous. They have turned their 6’x6’ pen into a giant mudhole. The coop has stayed fairly clean since i use straw in there and they do not have food and water overnight but i need ideas of what i can put in the pen to decrease the mess. I know they will likely be messy regardless but my pekin is brown from the mud and the others are just as dirty, even if they aren’t white. There is a bigger part that can be opened up once my boyfriend finishes the outside pools and ramps, so maybe that will help to move the water to another area. I had hoped to let them free range at some point but my friend who has ducks has lost 3 of hers in the last 4 weeks due to foxes or raccoons. I want to keep my ladies safe, so they will remain locked up until i can figure out a way to let them range safely.

 

[Eric_W]

Mine has a course sand base (not play sand, some call it river sand or construction sand) and I go over their messes with the flake pine (white bag) from Tractor Supply. When it starts getting too deep I haul it out to compost pile and start over. I don't like the fine pine for ducks because of the way they eat.

 

[LtDanFan]

Mine has a course sand base (not play sand, some call it river sand or construction sand) and I go over their messes with the flake pine (white bag) from Tractor Supply. When it starts getting too deep I haul it out to compost pile and start over. I don't like the fine pine for ducks because of the way they eat.

How often do you have to haul it all out? I am looking for something that is fairly low maintenance, but i know that they are messy enough that everything will require c=some kind of maintenance.

 

[berlyannpotter]

I finally was able to move my 7 female ducklings outside and introduced them to my (previously) lone pekin probably drake. I knew ducks were messy but these guys are ridiculous. They have turned their 6’x6’ pen into a giant mudhole. The coop has stayed fairly clean since i use straw in there and they do not have food and water overnight but i need ideas of what i can put in the pen to decrease the mess. I know they will likely be messy regardless but my pekin is brown from the mud and the others are just as dirty, even if they aren’t white. There is a bigger part that can be opened up once my boyfriend finishes the outside pools and ramps, so maybe that will help to move the water to another area. I had hoped to let them free range at some point but my friend who has ducks has lost 3 of hers in the last 4 weeks due to foxes or raccoons. I want to keep my ladies safe, so they will remain locked up until i can figure out a way to let them range safely.

We put sand, but I gather grass clippings and put it on top of the sand. It makes it easy to clean up. Plus, the birds love digging around in it.

 

[LtDanFan]

Then do you just scoop poop out of the sand? If so how often? How do you keep it in the pen?

 

[Eric_W]

How often do you have to haul it all out? I am looking for something that is fairly low maintenance, but i know that they are messy enough that everything will require c=some kind of maintenance.

I'd say 3 or 4 times a year. The pine only not the sand.

 

[berlyannpotter]

Then do you just scoop poop out of the sand? If so how often? How do you keep it in the pen?

I dont change sand out much. The grass, I use my hand rake and rake it up and throw it on my garden. It catches all the poop. Now, sometimes the chickens do dig into the sand, i clear out the poop in this area and add sand back. The back part of the coop has a thin board and I created a dust bath with soil, ashes, sand, and DE. They dont tend to poop in that. However, they do kick it out and I replace it. I put grass in the nesting boxes and under the roost as well.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Do not use pine flakes do not use straw they both rotten smell bad pretty quickly get the horse stall pellets. They absorb all the water in the mud and make it lovely and sweet smelling
You also want to try to control where their water goes. Keep their pool in a low corner of the pen and dump it out out of the pen. Try to keep rain out of thepen.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I dont change sand out much. The grass, I use my hand rake and rake it up and throw it on my garden. It catches all the poop. Now, sometimes the chickens do dig into the sand, i clear out the poop in this area and add sand back. The back part of the coop has a thin board and I created a dust bath with soil, ashes, sand, and DE. They dont tend to poop in that. However, they do kick it out and I replace it. I put grass in the nesting boxes and under the roost as well.

Chickens? Or ducks?

 

[berlyannpotter]

Chickens