What is better for bedding?

[stargazingmommy]

mmy ducks don't use their house except for Doctor to lay her egg every few days. The other days she lays in a little spot of straw she made a nest. the house is full of pine shavings. Their house(insulated dogloo dog house) us COVERED with straw. Like buried. and the area of their pen that had grass last summer and is now mud is covered with straw, thanks to my DH's help.during the summer I just hosed all the poo out of the grass and into my garden. Their pool is in an area with river rock, and that got hosed down to.
My hoses are frozen now.
And everythings covered in straw.
The straws been out there for about 2 weeks. It doesn't stink. theres not an overwhelming build up of poo. I haven't added anymore or removed any yet. It hasn't been raining though. I only have two quackers though. They spend every night in their pen and get free run of the whole yard every other day.
The poo in the yard...well...gross as it is, my dogs are duck poo removers. Yes I've tried to break them of this. I give up. Of course the moron dogs also like to eat the duck and chicken food.

the morons.

 

[linen53]

I use nothing but pine shaving. I bundle up each morning and let the ducks out and get my bucket and get down on hands and knees and go through the whole duck house, taking out all the poo and wet (pee) and fluff up all the remaining shavings to dry during the day. I've done this since early summer and I have never had to change pine bedding. After it's been cleaned each day it smells fresh and piney. My ducks free-range so unless I have a duck who has gone broody, they don't frequent the house until it's time to go in at dusk.

Forgot to add: It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to clean out the duck house that currently houses 17 ducks.