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Ducks are chaotic, messy, and love to play with water, it is a real struggle for owners to keep the duck bedding dry.
It can be exhausting and you may leave the mess as it is. However, the duck pen should be dry, otherwise, it will give rise to a number of problems. So, it is better to follow all the precautionary measures to keep the duck pen dry.
Most people keep ducks as a hobby, however, it can be a bit of a resource incentive and time-consuming.
Keeping ducks as pets is very much similar to caring for chickens and most duck owners use chicken coops to house ducks and keep them warm.
As you raise ducks, you will observe different habits of the feathered pet and the predominant one would be their ability to create a mess and wet the bedding. Ducks enjoy hanging around water more than most pets.
They love to go for a swim, it is easier to make them happy with the availability of water.
Coming back to the subject matter, how can the duck owner keep duck bedding dry. Before we head to the solution, it is important to know the root cause of the problem.
Possible Reasons For Wet Duck Bedding
Wet bedding attracts more than one problem, it is really uncomfortable for the ducklings, for one. A wet or soiled duck pen smells, attracts flies, and causes diseases. So, the possible reasons for wet bedding could be
Ducks are Tracking Water
Ducks love you to hang around water, so it makes sense that they would want water where they sleep at night.
There could be more than one duck responsible for wet bedding or spilling water bowls or buckets into the beds. This results in soaked beds for everyone in the area.
The real problem is figuring out which duck is the culprit and bringing water to the duck pen.
Check up on these mischievous birds for the most part of the day or especially when you hear noises to see if they are up to something.
Opening in the Hutch
The duck’s bedding is getting wet maybe because of the opening in the house or hutch. Water usually comes from a hole in the area where the ducks reside, the problem should be addressed instantly.
Rainwater
During monsoon season or heavy rains, cover the bedding by placing the cover to prevent it from getting wet by rain or any other form of precipitation. Put up some walls if you can not keep the rainwater out simply with a cover.
Ways to Keep Duck Bedding Dry
Naturally, you want the duck pen to be dry and clean for the duck’s health and wellness. You may have tried many ways already but could not succeed at keeping the duck pen dry, especially when ducklings are able to go outside. Worry not, use the following ways to achieve your goal.
1. Fix Water Bowl to the Surface
Every time you set the bedding back in place, you do not want them to soak it again with water. To prevent ducks to tip their water bowl is by fix it to another surface. One smart solution is to secure it inside an old tire or put a large chicken wire over it.
If this does not fix the problem, opt for heavy, large water bowls that ducks can not physically tip them over. Ducks do not have much strength, it would not be easier to spill water from a heavy bowl.
2. Do not Leave the Water Bowl inside the Duck Pen overnight
Whenever you will catch ducks in an act, they will be usually being up to nothing good. At night, they become even more mischievous as no one’s looking. You may leave a water bowl inside the duck coop overnight because they might get thirsty.
Well, you are going the extra mile to keep the ducks comfortable and happy but you need to know they do not need water at night.
If you give them extra water during the day and evening then they do not need it afterward. Leaving a water bowl overnight is one of the many reasons for wet duck bedding.
Just a little tip, avoid giving them food late at night so they would not get thirsty and let them out of the coop early morning and offer water. The duck feeder should be cleaned and dry.
3. Change the Location of the Water
Sometimes ducks do not like the location of the water bowl and spill the water in anger. Change it to a different place or keep it right outside the duck coop so that they can create all the mess they want outside.
If it is not possible, try using a similar setup to a chicken’s water system where there is a pool of water far from the living space, large enough to drink, bathe, and swim. This way, they can track minimum water to the duck coop.
Place Absorbent Mats Around the Bedding Area
If you have seen some ducks tracking water, place some high-quality absorbent mats around the coop so that the ducks bringing water will be absorbed mostly by the mats.
Ducks track in water on their feet and feathers to wet the bedding. This will not be a perfect fix but it will minimize the number of water ducks is taking to their nest. It will not resolve the problem of thoroughly soaked bedding but will somewhat minimize the chance of water getting inside the bedding.
Change the Bedding Periodically
Duck bedding is usually made of straw which is not costly at all. It would not put a dent in the wallet to change the bedding constantly. It is necessary to keep the duck coop dry and clean.
Take out soiled beddings or soaked straws and put fresh and dry ones instead. If you take weeks or months to replace old bedding with new ones, you would have many problems at hand, smelly pen, for one. You can not potty train ducks but quick management can bring change.
Add Extra Bales of Straw
If you do not have time to thoroughly clean the coop and take out old soiled bedding, just add some straws to it. Additional straws will cover the wet ones keeping the coop looking dry and tidy.
Use Quality Flooring For Duck Pen
There are different types of flooring available for duck coop, use quality flooring for ducks that are comfortable as well as functional.
If you have been tired of wet bedding and want to resolve this problem once and for all, we would recommend you use vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring is easier to clean and it prevents the floor from getting wet and soiled.
These were some of the ways to keep the duck bedding dry. These precautionary measures will help keep this problem at bay.
Why You Should Not Leave the Wet Duck Bedding As it is?
Lazy pet owners often compromise on the cleaning of the living space which gives rise to many problems. One of the ways is to keep changing the bedding or look for a long-term solution. There are several reasons why you should not leave the duck bedding wet and soiled for too long.
Wet duck bedding smells bad and trusts us you do not want to hold your breath every time passing by the pen.
Add fresh straws, remove the soiled bedding if necessary, make sure the duck coop has good ventilation, and use the deep litter method to keep the pen all nice and tidy.
- Wet bedding leads to another irritating problem that attracts many files and insects.
- Wet pen causes many diseases, ducks living in this situation may have Bumblefoot.
Concluding Remarks
If you want your ducks to be healthy and stop the spread of different diseases, keep their living space dry and tidy. No doubt, ducks are always up to something and trying to make a mess but it is your responsibility to keep the bedding dry. Follow the aforementioned measures to solve this problem.
