when can my ducklings go outside??

Miss Lydia said:

You can offer and see if they want to come outside but I would force them. At 6 weeks they should be fully feathered If your heat lamp puts out light even red they will most likely get up and eat then sleep and up and eat then sleep. Just the way ducks are.
Once you take the lamp away and the food and water they will sleep most likely. With one eye open.

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i brought them out, while i was out getting dog food i found a bigger baby pool for them and got home filled it for them and they were out for 2 hours. i remember you advising me to get niacin bc of theirnfeet issues about 2 weeks ago, its done a difference im so happy. theyre so happy and full of life. theyre my therapy<3 its currently 12am 59 degrees and ive had the heat lamp on since 9pm when they got put to the coop so im thinking of going and turning it off. they sure have tripled the size in 2 weeks.

They don't need heat any longer. My birds are my therapy too. Aren't they just the best.
So happy the niacin has helped.

At four weeks old I transferred five Swedish four week olds (in their dog crate with straw) from the house, to the car port area, and kept the heating light available on the crate, for freezing temps at night (it gets down below 30 right now). They have straw bales surrounding the crate and straw for dry bedding on their crate floor, and are out of the wind, and a fenced area around the crate for day time activities. They run out of the crate, wash, dip and drink, and then back under the light for naps. The ducklings have access to a large container of water and plenty of food. Even with freezing night temps the ducklings are thriving and when cold will lounge under the lamp together. As long as they are safe, dry and have access to the lamp, they do great in the winter. When they reach 7-9 weeks old and can regulate their body temps a little better, I will offer them access to a baby pool during the winter day if it reaches 50 degrees. They are feathering out fast and very hardy birds!

Welcome to BYC @Fawnibecca

We have lost ducklings that get to cold. I put them in the nesting box of the coop in nicer weather and bring them in at night. I also make sure that they always have water... usually a bowl they can get into to swim, even inside.

Brickman House said:

Quote:

At 4 weeks old, your ducks do not need food and water all night long-- feed and water them before you go to bed, and sleep well. They'll be perfectly fine until morning!

I tend to be on the less protective side, I think, of a lot of posters here when it comes to ducklings, only because I have found in my experience, that they're a lot hardier than we give them credit for. Also that they're a lot happier and grow better outside with lots of fresh air and a lot of room. I have had my latest batch of ducklings outside since they were 3 weeks old. They have a small duck house (unheated) and a grass run sectioned off from the main ducks. They are doing great, with temps in the high 40's at night and 60's during the day. They'd lose their minds if I tried to coop them up in a box again.

So if it were me, they'd go out sooner, rather than later.

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