Winter Duck Set Up for Northern Climates (Upper Midwest)

How many people on here keep water in their pens/coops or not?

This year is the first year we're going to have way more birds. Prior to this winter, we've had 10 birds to deal with, and this year it'll be closer to 20 (depending on if we're eating anybody or not). Half of the birds are ducks, half chickens. I'm really concerned about messy watering this winter and our bedding freezing--last year 8 of the birds were ducks, and we had some freezing issues in a couple spots in the pen.

Any suggestions about bedding that we can leave or layer? Our coop is 8'x8'--we may or may not be adding a small additional structure depending on what kind of time we have to do with some other home renovations

This is our set up here. They are locked in their pen at night. During the day I open the door and they forage in the yard. When the temperature starts dropping should I lock them in their coop at night? We are going to staple plastic over their entire pen so they won't get a ton of wind down there. They won't get much snow down there either because the pen is under our deck.




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elly21 said:

This is our set up here. They are locked in their pen at night. During the day I open the door and they forage in the yard. When the temperature starts dropping should I lock them in their coop at night? We are going to staple plastic over their entire pen so they won't get a ton of wind down there. They won't get much snow down there either because the pen is under our deck.




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Hey there! Like your set up, and it looks very much like what we are planning on doing under our deck as well. Please tell me how you handle the poop issue. We have river rock under our deck/ porch (it is easily 5 ft. high from deck floor to ground).
I know I will be carrying water from inside to them under there as the faucet on that wall is not winterized (and hose would freeze).

I will be making a coop like that kind for the spring, but right now I will use what I have.

Our two walls below the deck/porch are a west wall and north wall, so our girls will be dry and well protected from winter winds.

MaureenD said:

Hey there! Like your set up, and it looks very much like what we are planning on doing under our deck as well. Please tell me how you handle the poop issue. We have river rock under our deck/ porch (it is easily 5 ft. high from deck floor to ground).
I know I will be carrying water from inside to them under there as the faucet on that wall is not winterized (and hose would freeze).

I will be making a coop like that kind for the spring, but right now I will use what I have.

Our two walls below the deck/porch are a west wall and north wall, so our girls will be dry and well protected from winter winds.

Click to expand...

Thanks! We have a faucet under there which is great, but it's not going to help us in the winter either. For the winter you could put straw down. When it gets too poopy just rake it out.

My own recent experience has taught me to invest in a good quality pair of water proof warm work gloves.

This is my first winter with ducks and since we've already had snow and several freezing morning I've learned that my regular warm work gloves are not water proof. They were fine for winter chores like shoveling and applying sand/ traction grit and activities like hiking and filling birdfeeders.

It really sucks for your hands to get wet first thing during morning chores and you still have 15 or minutes of feeding, raking, duck petting & chatting to do. My hands were burning from the wet/cold before I could finish morning chores.

I already have insulated water proof work boots and insulated water proof chore coat.