I use straw in my duck coop and it breaks down pretty fast. So I'm constantly layering more on top and after it rains forget it!! I can't let my ducks run around the lot because we have a red-tailed hawk nesting next to the field! I've heard shavings don't break down as fast but I'm not sure if the ducks will ingest any of the shavings. Not sure if it would cause them any harm. Just wondering what everyone else prefers!
I have 9 Khaki Campbells.
saanansandy, I sorta think your ducks are too big for a Red Tailed hawk to carry off. Mine are Swedish Blues and we have Red Tailed hawks circling overhead from dawn till dusk. They are too busy eating the mice, gophers & quail to consider tackling a 7 lb duck. I think your straw idea is fine ..... better than shavings from wood.
I don't know if it would work for everybody, but I had a tree trimmer dump a whole truck load of wood chips in my drive and then put them in the pen. They are about a foot deep and keep the mud down great.
jylgaskin, If I had a fence around the stream ... (my biggest obstacle) I could allow my ducks to roam. As is; they are confined in the chicken area with a constant flow of water from a hose. Ducks make such a big poo mess that the 4 beautiful darling Swedish Blue can't be allowed outside of it for the obvious reasons. I just need some time and money. I'll be adding a small gaggle of Tolousse geese if we just get through the next 12 months of work.
Oh, my God. If you think you have poop problems now, wait till you see what Toulousse can do. I had two girls for several years and though I loved them dearly, you could slip and slide all over the yard. Of all the geese though, Toulousse are the best. Very gentle and sweet. Lucy used to sit beside me and lay her head across my lap. They were wonderful watch dogs too, loud and agressive to strangers and anything at night.
jylgaskin, The Toulousse geese and other waterfowl would always be fenced off from our immediate lawn and gardens by the 1500 ft of fencing surrounding the house & outbuildings. I have enough experience with our ducks plus the Canada Geese at the local Arboretum to understand how large 1 pile of their poo can be ..... let alone thousands. I fully in tend to have more birds. We have a guy out in our neck of the woods with a waterfowl / poultry farm in Corvallis, OR. Dave Holderread is reputed to have the finest breeding stock of domesticated waterfowl on the planet ....... second to none with .
I use pine shavings and they break down very fast.
Faster than straw or hay I would say.
Dirty bedding from earlier this summer is already to go in the garden.
I prefer p.s. over straw because I find its more absorbant and doesn't get so heavy and wet on the top.
Poop really isn't a problem with geese (or any worse than large breed ducks) if you have limited numbers, very large pens or allow them to free range. I have 9 Sebastopol geese that free range during the day and are put in the barn at night. Thier poo disolves fast and fertilizes the soil. All it is, is pre-digested grass anyway.
Geese need and thrive on grass and they tend to be more vegan than ducks.
Thier poop (mine anyway) isn't that big...maybe the size of the first 2 joints on your index finger.
This message was edited Oct 27, 2007 3:19 PM
Thanks Everyone for the great input! We are going to be building another pen shortly 20' x 20'. My DH wants to take this one down after the other one is built but I was thinking it would be nice to rotate between the pens. Not sure how the ducks will respond. I had a Pekin and a couple of calling ducks a couple of years ago. I would open the door to the pen and the calling ducks would fly over to my uncle's pond next door while the Pekin wouldn't even pass the threshold!!
Pekings are so silly. I have to carry mine to the pond, but when he gets there he has a ball.
Most ducks can be taught to herd with some practice and patience.
Start out with 2 people using a bamboo rod or something like that. Guide them where you want them to go. Go slow, no fast movements as much as possible. Give them a treat when they go to the designated place. In time they get use to the routine where 1 person can usually do it. I train my ducklings and goslings from early on to do this and they all know whats expected of them.
Well, I see if I can teach an old duck a new trick! Thanks for the training tips.
And I'm glad to know that it wasn't just my Pekin!!
All my other ducks follow pretty good, but Quackers the pekin, was rescued from an apartment comples in the middle of winter and was so starved and weak that I had to hold his head up to eat and drink. I figured he was brain damaged. He is so happy now. We butchered ducks last weekend and got rid of the other drake and the 6 females that were all nagging him for sex. Now he just has his two wives nagging him. It's so funny. They run along side him and bob and chatter and he just sighs and ignores them like an old man. He looks like he is saying, "Good grief girls, we just jdid it last spring!"
That's great that you took the time to help him recover! My Khaki Campbell drake doesn't seem to give the girls a break!!! He's always coming up to someone with his neck bobbing! So if your girls get lonely....lol!
I decided to let them out to explore today! It took about 5 minutes for the girls to high-tail it out and start nibbling on grass. However, the drake stayed in the pen running back and forth yelling at them!! This went on for almost an hour before all the girls wandered back in the pen and I shut the door. Now he's happy!
Hi everyone,, I am new to this website,, just ran across it today, we live in Aynor, SC, about 20 miles from Mrytle Beach, SC. We have lived here about 3 yrs, and we have a huge pond right out our front door,, so we decided we would get some ducks, gueese, turkeys, and chickens,, we also have two young goats, one that i had to raise on a bottle due to her mother not making it through the birth, so needless to say she is rather spoiled,, but she is soo sweet,, then we recieved a male goat from my boyfriends family,, so they are insepratable,,and boy do they love to eat my flowers and plants if the get out of the fence.. We spent all weekend building a new house for the turkeys and chickens to keep them warm for the winter,, it doesn't get too bad here but we still have some tough nites.. I was soo happy to find this website,, cause we have so many questions at times about all our animals,, i am gonna put some pics of some of our babies on here and i really have enjoyed looking at the pics everyone else has posted on here..
Thanks again for all the info
Welcome Sissiewynn!
I, too, love this website and everyone is very helpful and definitely fun!
Your kids are too cute! Nice that they have something to climb and play with, helps keep them out of trouble! Well, a little bit anyway!
Sue ☺
I've been using straw mostly this summer....but I haven't liked it as much as shavings. The ducks leave it all alone pretty much - I haven't had any injest the stuff.
As far as training them - I "accidentally" did mine. I had bought a golf-ball retriever to get a dead duck out of my pond....but 15' wasn't long enough....so I used it to herd the ducks to the "duck house" aka our back shed. As soon as I got everyone in there - that's when I fed and watered. Cool thing is - they follow me all the time - especially to the duck house.....and come when I call them!! lol so.....I now have 22 ducks trained!! :) good luck! I'd definitely go with p.s. over straw!!
Cottage-Rose, I'm thinking of getting some sebastopol geese. How are they as pets?
Also, I have a duck house that is about 4 x 8 and the roof is slanted so it's lower on one side than the other. At the highest it's about 4 feet tall. Is this big enough for lets say 2 sebastolpol geese and 2-4 ducks? Of course, I like the taller ducks rather than the shorter ones but haven't decided on the ducks yet.
Thanks,
Gwen
Gwendalou, I have acquaintances here with at least 2 breeding pairs of Sebastopol Geese. I spoke with him last spring. He planned to allow each goose to brood a few goslings each this past summer. I keep his phone #.... if you have an interest in buying/travelling 140 miles east of Seattle .... I can determine if they have any young geese for sale. It would be easier & cheaper to simply order day-old geese from Holderread's Waterfowl Farm down in Corvalis but doing so would require waiting till next April. Kelly
I use a combination of stray and pine shavings. I found that the straw didn't seem to absorb much, and the biddies tracked poo all into the nests. Plus, the odor (think guinea poo) was pretty strong. I think the straw is harder to clean up, too. It would be easier if I could find an easy way to chop it up smaller. Pine wood shavings seem to help deodorize, and I feel it's much more absorbant, cleans up easier, and doesn't build up as fast. However, it seems so dusty, and the birds don't like it for their nests. Also, it doesn't seem to insulate the floor from the cold as well. So, I put straw on the floor and some by the nests so the girls can do their thing. Then I layer pine wood shaving and some cedar ( for more odor control) on top of that. That seems to work for me. My friend only uses straw, however, and she likes that best. Her coop never seems to smell, but she has a dirt floor and kind of composts it in place. Plus, she doesn't have any guineas. Hope this helps.
Thanks! I like the thought of the shavings absorbing. The straw doesn't do that! I think I'm going to do the same: put down shavings but also give them some straw for their nests.
Kelly, I was actually planning to drive down to Holderread's to pick them up. I'm not in a hurry as I'm not ready for them yet. But do you think they'll be okay in that size enclosure?
Gwen
Gwendalou, You probably should call Holderreads to see about picking up poultry. I have no knowledge about customers doing so but they do allow pick-ups on appointment. I know they do not allow visitors for fear of (foot born) diseases. I suspect since they have a limited supply of each breed of waterfowl. ph# : 541-929-5338. I've been getting their little catalog in the mail for a few years. Their Sebastopol line of geese is reputed to represent the finest breeding line in the Western Hemisphere. My acquaintance here locally has gotten his stock of Sebastopol geese from Holderreads as well. They are very showy. I do not yet have a practical means to display geese or ducks (a visible pond close to the house)....some day I hope. Your structure is large enough for the geese. I just wonder whether they'll ever go inside. I've got ducks ... .they just stay out in the weather no matter how cold. It is funny to think of them swimming at night in the tub/trough. It holds about 100 gallons. I keep the 55 degree well water running into the trough all winter long to prevent it from freezing over. In -10 below zero weather the water at 55 degrees is like a hot tub for them. The ducks never get out of the water when it gets cold here...LOL.
This message was edited Nov 16, 2007 8:14 PM
Sue, where in RI is Wood River Junction? I'm just up in MA. See:http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/790760/
xx, Carrie
