What to fill my duck run with? And progress pics

[duluthralphie]

Hey Fake Eileen.....

See another person agrees with me!!!

 

[biophiliac]

Hey Fake Eileen.....

See another person agrees with me!!!

I did let my chickens eat earthworms ...

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Hi Shaw, I don't have ducks but for some reason I'm attracted to the duck threads - must be the company! For a deep litter base I suggest wood chips that have been properly aged to eliminate any risk of aspergillus spores. These create sponge like gaps that allow drainage and are an excellent base for adding leaves, grass clippings, kitchen waste, etc. I didn't finish reading yet, so appologies if this was already mentioned.
eta ... too lazy to correct my misspelling of aspergil...

So that would be the problem with getting chips from a saw mill then?

In my garden boxes I do a layer of rocks (roughly softball size), then dirt. The rocks help fill volume quickly, and allow drainage. The dirt fills the gaps, but doesn't all wash away, and with birds it will pack down on top. I agree with others that anything will pack down with time so use more than you think you will need.

That's what I need is to fill up some volume. Maybe use bigger rock so they wouldn't rise up and get mixed in. That's a thought.

Hey Fake Eileen.....

See another person agrees with me!!!

Boo o o o !

 

[shawluvsbirds]

you might be able to skip the mats, but i was thinking it would help keep the ground where you want it and no tunneling to china

ETA - ducks arent scratchers like chickens so the mesh should survive the ducks so long as secured in place well (stakes or whatever)

Love this idea! But I don't think I can afford to buy the mats right now. Still got a few things to buy to finish it and my budget is almost gone

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Love this idea! But I don't think I can afford to buy the mats right now. Still got a few things to buy to finish it and my budget is almost gone

skip the mats then, and just the pea stone with netting staked really well

 

[biophiliac]

So that would be the problem with getting chips from a saw mill then?

No problem that I can see if not too fine.
eta, sorry I think I misunderstood your question

 

[Poultrylord]

Bantam ducks could work for the pen.

 

[duluthralphie]

Bantam ducks could work for the pen.

and for the bottom layer of the litter~! Great Idea

 

[Kiki]

 

[gilbert2]

I'd like to chime in about what I have used. Chopped STRAW. Period. I know--it gets packed down. But that is the good part--the ducks will poop all over it, and walk on it. They thereby create a compressed mass of straw/poop, which is a great base to walk on. I just kept adding fresh straw every few days, and then it would get packed down, etc.
The only thing is that it will take some days to properly fill. But really, how serious is that? Right now I have a firm base of about 5" thickness. If I ever want to get rid of it, a shovel takes it out pronto. But if I want to just leave it, then what's the harm? It just gets a bit thicker with time. BTW, it drains, too.
I hope this helps someone, since it made my life so easy.