[Clansman]

I have a friend with a similar setup Lord Flynn.

Birds are free ranging around the farm through the day and shut in their house at night.

the house has an 8'x4' wire run attached and the birds have access to it 24 hours with food and water in it.

its handy if the birds ever need to be kept from wandering for any reason but doubles up as a night feed and water supply which doesn't spoil the litter in the shed.

Bionic, I don't know what size of shed or number of birds you have, but would a small slatted or mesh area be a possibility for you so you could catch spilled water or feed and remove it?

This type of idea?

[Bionic]

I only have 5 ducks so its a small duck house. Something like your pic might work but let me try the hole in the lid method first. If it works I will take a pic.

[HesterF]

I've tried the set up pictured with ducklings and it doesn't work for me at all. The tray below fills up with bedding in no time and they spill the food all over it too - and then it overflows as well. So not only do you have to clean out the food and water a couple of times a day but a tray full of a soaking bedding/soggy crumb mix. I'd seen it as a suggested solution in a waterfowl book but no idea how they could keep it clean.

[DartmoorLiz]

Our ducks have a wet room attached to the side of the shed (its a plastic wendy house on a pallet) but I like the idea of a hole in the side of a tall bucket so they can get their eyes wet but not swim.  I'm sure nipple drinkers are great too as they also alow the ducks to wet their eyes. 

I love these debates and its revealing that the commercials sometimes have better conditions than domestics meaning supermarket products are not always inferior to farm gate stuff. 

Hope you find a solution

[Bionic]

Well I tried a container with a lid and a hole cut out. The shed ended up like a swamp.
I tried it again with modified versions but can't get anything to work successfully. I think sitting in the wet bedding at night, especially with the colder weather coming, would be worse for them than not having water when they are closed up so they are now waterless again.

[twizzel]

I tried mine with water one night this week as I had to go out for dinner and had to shut them in early. Their house soaking the next morning, so I too will leave mine waterless overnight.

[lord flynn]

Well, I have three ducks and overnight they get one of those no spill dog water bowls and a small dish of pellets. The bowl is raised and it seems to be working for them.






Been looking at lighting for the various runs, it won't be possible to run electric to them. Can anyone recommend battery run, time lights-or solar? Not too expensive?

[Clansman]

I've got an old 12v car battery, a cheapo solar panel on the shed roof, a 12v timer and some small LED lights.

I run three wires from the main shed to the smaller sheds but they are pretty close to each other.

LED's are excellent, great light with very little current drain on the battery 

12v solar panel

12v timer

LED type 1

LED type 2

[lord flynn]

cool thanks. I do have a 12V leisure battery that I use for electric fencing, don't really need it in the winter so could use that. my pens are not close together though so will get thinking cap on-I have a variety of battery run led lamps but wasn't sure they'd give enough light.

[Clansman]

I can't remember the proper lux figure but the old way of telling if it was bright enough was to see if you could read a newspaper by the light, if you can its bright enough.