When is the best time to hatch ducklings

[perrypoo]

Sorry for not getting back sooner I keep forgetting about the account. so when I use the wood shavings it's all over the floor covering the wood. And also their "co-op" is a conveterd dog pen it's split in half one side is the living space and the other is the bedroom. So in the back I put Jay on one side so they can make a neat to sleep in. I clean their house every other day. When I do clean it I use a broken broom and sweep it into a trash bag bag.Also I didn't know there are method for the bedding

 

[perrypoo]

that's Perry's nest

 

[perrypoo]

here's the other half of their home as you can see there is no hay, that's because I ran out

 

[CyndiD]

I've used deep litter for years for my water fowl even my geese. If you use the bedding that is for horses[shavings] it is easy to go in daily and scoop out the wet poop and then turn over what's left to dry. Straw to me does nothing for bedding the poop just lays there doesn't get absorbed, I stopped using straw about 8 yrs ago. I did buy shaving at the lumber yard for a while but it was too fine more like saw dust so I just buy the huge bails at the feed store now. I use it for chickens,  ducks and geese. I also never take all my bedding out once it gets around March though I clean and stop adding as often so during warm months the bedding is usually only 4" deep that way I can spray for mites easier by pulling all the bedding into the middle of the coop and treating the walls and crevices this is only in the chicken coop I just spray the water fowl rooms a few times a year only just in case. I use Oxine ah mixed with water to spray down bedding about 1X a week for sanitation probably isn't necessary but makes me feel better. I add some drops of lavender into this. If you clean daily and it doesn't take long the shaving should not get smelly. Good ventilation helps too. I like your roomy house is there bare ground under the rocks?

Yes, there is bare ground under the river rock. our land slopes around our house so my DH had to build the duck house on 4'x6's and there was large opening gaps on 3 sides of the house and when he finished building it this past Dec 2015 the ground was freezing so we couldn't get any dirt from around our property, so we decided on 2 truck loads of river rock. and i thought it would we nice for hoseing down all the poo and food the ducks drop on top of the river rock. Then I started researching "deep litter" vs "deep bedding" pros and cons. and now that the temps are coing up here in Idaho i have gone inside the coop with a hose and just hose down (just in the corner) where their food and water and oyster shell is and kind of wash it down into the river rock and hopefully down, down, down and out of the river rock??
I wanted to use the shavings but like you i got a truck load from a local sawmill and it was very fine... now im afraid the fine sawdust will just clog up down in the river rock and cause everything to backup like a towlet, so to speak. the saw mill also gives away for free bark, we will go get a truck load of that and see what it lolks like. when we were there looking at the bark, it looked like sticks and pieces... i dont know what to do or what will work well inside my duck house? the straw is pretty easy to clean up, because is just packs down and i use my hay rake and lift it up in large sections.... but.... it isnt sanitary. like you said it doesnt soak up any pee/wet poo... i don know.
in the summer months i was thinking i would just not add anything to the top of the river rock??? it will be warm enough that the ducks wont need the warmth???? what do you think?
sorry this is sooo long, i will stop now.. thanks for your opinion and your help.
talk to you later.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@CyndiD do you think a pred could dig under and through the river rock? Since you house is so large why not have a designated area for their bedding you could even put up half walls 3 sides. place your bedding in there that way it would be easier to clean and clean out when you needed too. I still say the best bedding is the horse bedding. How many ducks in your house for night time? The females could also use this as their egg laying and brooding space. Or set up a couple We have actually built stalls in my ducks houses I originally did it because of my Muscovy drakes no way could they be housed all together so stalls with tops were built. Now my females have their own bedrooms and they love it they lay their eggs in them and brood in them and sleep in them. The only ducks who sleep all together are my only drake i have now and 2 females he has grown up with, But during brooding season He has his own bedroom too. lol

 

[perrypoo]

I have 2 ducks 1 female khaki Campbell 1 male mallard. They were hatched and grew up with one another so they like being apart. Also perry took us by surprise about the best. Their had just around it when it was warm. So at I would off they bbedroom entrance and they would sleep in there. But right now there is wood keeping them safe so they sleep in either side