Ducks can be absolutely great pets if you’re interested in raising them. They’re very cute and playful overall, and many people wind up loving the experience.
You might even like the fact that you can enjoy a constant source of duck eggs. Whether you’re raising ducks on a farm or if you’re just keeping some ducks in your backyard as pets, it has the potential to bring you a lot of joy.
There are certain problems that you will encounter when taking care of ducks, though. Ducks are known for being a bit messy and they always seem to spill water due to knocking over their water bowls or dishes.
This happens because ducks like the water so much. They have an instinct that makes them want to dip themselves in the water bowls, and they wind up knocking water bowls over a lot because of it.
Is there a good way to keep ducks from spilling water like this constantly? Read on to learn how to keep ducks from spilling water.
1 – Ensure That Your Ducks Have a Deep Water Bowl
The first thing that you need to understand is that ducks actually need to dip their heads in their water bowls. If you’ve been giving your ducks a shallow water bowl or even a water dish, then you’ll need to switch to something more appropriate.
You see, ducks will want to dip their entire head into the water bowl for a good reason. They do this so that they can wash their eyes and bills.
It’s also important because the ducks need to wash out their sinuses. If they aren’t able to do this regularly, then they could get sinus infections, and that’d be an entirely different problem than just having a bit of water on the ground or floor.
When ducks aren’t able to dip their heads into water semi-regularly, it puts them at risk of sinus infections and respiratory conditions. Luckily, it shouldn’t be hard to just give the ducks what they need.
If the ducks have a deep enough water bowl, then they’ll have an easier time. However, they’re still likely going to spill the water pretty often.
Keep reading to get some tips to try to manage this issue. You should be able to make things a little better if you approach the situation the right way.
2 – Give Them a Small Children’s Pool
If you wish to solve this little problem easily, then it might be worth investing in a small children’s pool. You don’t necessarily need to get the ducks anything fancy, but you could place a children’s pool in the duck’s area somewhere in lieu of giving them water bowls.
They won’t be able to tip the small pool over like they do the water bowls. It’ll even allow the ducks to swim around a little bit, which they will absolutely love.
A children’s pool should be more than deep enough for the ducks to be able to submerge their heads. This means that they will be able to drink the water and do what they need to do for their health.
Doing this is indeed a good idea, but you’ll want to keep the pool a bit away from the duck’s coop. This will make it less likely that they will slosh water too close to the coop or track it back to the coop when walking.
Of course, the ducks are still going to spill water when they’re using the pool. It will be a bit messy, but this is why you place the pool in an area where the ducks can spill a bit of water without it being a big deal.
This little solution to the water spilling issue will be most useful during the summer months. It’ll also give your ducks a way to cool down on particularly hot days.
You likely already know that ducks need to have water to play in as well. If you want to keep a separate play area and drinking area for your ducks, then you could try putting a trough somewhere else.
Many duck owners will have a little pool area somewhere and then they will have a drinking trough elsewhere that the ducks can utilize. You should keep both of these areas in spots where it doesn’t matter if they spill water or not.
Since you won’t be able to use this pool idea during every season, it’s still going to be necessary to come up with other methods to battle the spilling problem. Thankfully, there is still more to consider.
3 – Drip Feeders
Drip feeders are going to be very useful when you want to give your ducks a source of water that they won’t be able to play with. This is a type of feeder where the ducks will have access to a nipple that they can get water out of.
These are pretty common and they’re probably the least messy of all the options that you have. If you’re looking for a simple way to keep the duck coop dry, then this is going to be a wise idea.
Many people choose to keep these in duck coops because it keeps the coop dry. However, it does make it so the ducks can’t submerge their heads into the water.
This means that the ducks will need access to something more than just drip feeders to stay happy and healthy. Regardless, you can use the drip feeders in areas where you don’t want the ducks spilling a bunch of water.
4 – Put Slatted Floors in the Duck Coop
Using slatted floors in the duck coop can help to keep water from pooling. If you want to give your ducks access to normal water bowls or a trough of some sort, then you need to solve the spilling issue.
Spilling will occur when ducks are given access to water bowls or troughs. They’ll be happier to be able to dip their heads in the water, though.
When the water spills, it’ll be able to go through the slats so that it doesn’t pool in the coop. This can help to keep mold or mildew from growing and becoming a problem for you.
It’s likely going to be worth considering this idea so that you can get your ducks what they need. It’ll be a useful solution even during the winter months.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your ducks from making messes with water will be a bit of work. It’s likely going to be a good idea to consider all of the solutions above.
For many people, it’s going to be necessary to use some type of children’s pool to keep ducks happy. Ducks have a deep desire to play in the water, and this just makes sense for them.
You might even want to have both a play area and a normal drinking area for your ducks. It’d also be easy to set up a trough that is far enough away from the duck coop that spilling won’t be a big deal.
Using drip feeders of some sort in the duck coop will be a good idea. You could also decide to use slatted flooring in the coop to prevent spills from pooling and causing things to become soggy and nasty.
You definitely don’t want mold and mildew to form in the coop. If you take the right steps, then you’ll be able to keep your ducks happy and healthy moving forward.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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