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Make sure that the dropping tray does not overfill. The droppings can be put straight onto vegetables growing in the garden, but flowers will find it too strong. Add the droppings to your compost bin and it will speed up the process and produce an excellent compost.
Move the Eglu to a new area of grass. This will prevent one area of your lawn being over-used and any disease from building up in the area.
Empty their bathing water and clean the container. You may want to do this a couple of times a week depending on how many ducks you have and how quickly the water is soiled. Fresh water won't be crystal clear for long because the ducks will bring mud with them and soon turn the water brown but if they have another drinking source that is replaced daily this isn't a problem.
Try to check that your birds are well every week by picking them up and checking for all the signs of a healthy duck as outlined in the Duck Health section.
Make sure that the straw, hay or shavings in the nesting box are clean and fresh.
Comments
Tracey, 14 April 2021
I use to leave feed out and if need be too it up in morning night. However this year rats became a problem and I now feed in the kitchen, twice a day. She forages the rest of the day and gets treats of greens. I had concerns with having just one duck, but after the loss of the other 2 she had judt adapted to me being her soul mate.
Charlotte, 30 May 2016
To Ali Harris, I noticed that nobody else has answered your comment and so thought I would add my thoughts, personally I agree with you (working on the assumption they are kept in a pen with no access to naturally forage). My ducks have free access during the day to quality duck specific pellets (wasn't sure if I could name the actual brand!) and also have access to free range and forage themselves. I have noted in some of the books I have they mention about feeding in the morning and again at night or giving free access to pellets to ducks kept in domestic situations with limited or no access to forage / free range. Personally I cannot see the benefit of only feeding once a day, particularly making them wait all day until the evening, if they are kept in a pen environment with nothing else. I would imagine they then "gorge" on food, which as natural foragers cannot see how long term this would be good for their health. I would certainly recommend she changes her routine, even if she only wanted to feed once a day, to the morning as presumably she lets them out in the morning? And then they could access the feed whenever they wished throughout the day. (Also from a vermin point of view I would recommend this as you are less like to have rats, mice etc out during daylight). These are only my opinions but I have been keeping ducks for a number of years and mine are very happy, healthy and like my company / follow me around the garden (so presume I am doing something right!). Hope this helps, I would also be interested to hear anyone else's views or how people keep their ducks. Very best wishes Charlotte
Ali, 9 March 2016
A question which your notes don't appear to answer: Should ducks be fed in the morning? My foster daughter always leaves feeding her ducks until it is nearly dark! Despite my protests that this is surely a cruel practice, since in my experience of animal husbandry, animals which are not nocturnal will naturally begin feeding/hunting as soon as day breaks, my foster daughter insists that it's fine as 'ducks will feed after dark'. Without expert advice I have no leverage by which to enforce a change in her habits. Please HELP! Many thanks, in anticipation Ali Harris