While in NY........ (help needed!)

[DUCKGIRL89]

Quote:
Well, I added some straw last night just in the ducklings area, becuz it was soooooo muddy, but all the ducks are out of there, and are now happy. The big ducks are having A BLAST and the ducklings are just as happy. Im gonna be working on there new 16 x 16 pen tomarrow. It should be done either tomarrow, or the next day. Will post pics!

 

[Amiga]

Sounds great! So glad you're making it turn out okay!

 

[pekinsRus]

1st. Fill a spray bottle with 1/2 water & 1/2 vinegar & spray area, then rake (or stir) a bit & respray the area. 2nd. I use equine chips from TSC. The chips help prevent mold & delete the smell too.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Quote:
Ok, thanks! I will try that!

 

[jbrown_14105]

Straw will just get yucky and heavy! Sand, dri-stall or something similar to dry up the mud helps alot. unfortuately we have 20 ducks and though their run is huge it is constantly muddy especially since it's rainy alot. I had a system where they didn't get their water all over that helped keep down the muddiness, but the DS who takes care of the ducks (they belong to him) didn't like it. They ducks and geese come out every morning and rush to the pond or open water holder we have through out the yard to preen. We also have a hand tiller to turn the mud and the dry dirt underneath.

Hello Folks,
Well I built my duck house (4 ft high/4 feet wide/8 feet long/with three 4by4 timbers as base) on a raised bed of "#2 crush run" stone (like most small barns for ground support) and duck house yard in front of the duck house was raised up also from the "grass"/wet yard with a couple tractor scoops of a mixture of gravel-dirt & road millings (ground up asphalt & round stones). The milling bed was porous enough to allow all the water (rain/hosing down for their fun/etc) to drain away down to the grass which slopes away from the duck house & the duck yard.
As they have trampled it "smooth" it has left the round stones on top and the rest have packed down to make a pretty hard surface which will naturally drain. The "millings" has pretty much washed away any petroleum material in the mix, and I am sure it also helped that the pile of millings were open to a couple of full seasons of weather.
since the duck house is raised I put some paving stones in front so they can waddle up the "steps" to go inside.
The yard has been "dry" even after 4 full days of rain, it just seeps through the milling yard and drains below into the very wet rain soaked grass area.
Just my two "quacks"
Jim Brown
Lockport NY 14094