What do you use for duck bedding?

[pauleberly]

For my chickens, once every 2-3 weeks I add some hay, straw, pine shavings, and type of bedding and let the chickens stir it all around for me.

It never stinks (unless it rains) and hopefully at the end of the year I'll have some good quality compost.

With ducks, is that a possibility? I've seen a lot of people that raise them on a pea gravel (small round stones) and they must wash the stones down once a day?

What do you guys do. I like what I do with the chickens because it's very maintaence free , and was hoping for something along the same lines of possible

 

[lomine]

My run is 2/3rds deep litter (pretty much what you're doing) and 1/3 pea gravel. I only have the pea gravel because I have an in-ground 50 gal stock tank. I started with ducks and the deep litter worked fine for them but I had to turn it every week. They pack it down with their flat feet. I now have both ducks and chickens together. The chickens do all the turning for me now.

The only thing you will need to figure out is how you'll want to deal with the water. I put my open top waterer on the pea gravel. I do have nipple waters and the ducks do use them but they still need water deep enough to dunk their heads in. If you let them, they will splash it out and get the bedding wet. You could fashion something that allows them to stick their heads in but not give them enough space to make a mess. I'm thinking like an upside down bucket with head holes cut out. Then set that over a bowl. Or you could do a smaller bowl in a bigger bowl so the splashed water goes in the big bowl. They will still get water everywhere but it would be minimized. These are just a few ideas. I'm sure you can easily come up with something so that you can use the deep litter.

 

[pauleberly]

Ok that sounds great. I actually never through about mixing the pea gravel and deep litter.

I've heard of some no mess waters for ducks. I will have to try that out.

My chickens do not really care for my ducks at the moment, I'm wondering if I grow some up together if they would be a little bit more family orientated

 

[lomine]

Mine don't co-mingle. They keep to their own kind but they don't fight or anything. I'm sure if they were brooded together it would be different. As long as there is no serious fighting I don't really care.

 

[DuckGirl77]

I just use pine shavings, but I have to clean the coop every week or two.

 

[pauleberly]

I just use pine shavings, but I have to clean the coop every week or two.

Yeah that's what I wanted to avoid. I really like the deep bedding idea just because it's simple and makes a great by product (compost)

 

[pauleberly]

My head hen will actually go out of her way to peck my ducklings if I let them all out at the same time. I figured once my ducks are full grown they should be able to fight back or at least defend them selfs

 

[DuckGirl77]

My head hen will actually go out of her way to peck my ducklings if I let them all out at the same time. I figured once my ducks are full grown they should be able to fight back or at least defend them selfs

My full-grown ducks actually chase the chickens away, so I think it'll be fine when they get older.

 

[pauleberly]

I would like to try and find hemp bedding, but it seems like no big name stores actually carry it

 

[chickens really]

During summer I use pine shavings in the dog house they sleep in...Winter straw.
My RUN is all river rocks and sidewalk blocks....