Hi
We have 4 runner ducklings, they are 6 weeks old today. They are almost fully feathered (small part on their backs still looks like it has baby feathers, it's still a bit fluffy). We have been raising them in a bathroom shower until they're old enough to go to their outdoor enclosure.
They're now quite big and really look a bit cramped and uncomfortable where they are. I take them out for a bath twice a day but otherwise they are in there all day while I'm at work and all night.
Question is: do you think it would be ok for them to go outside full time at this stage? A few of the nights are still getting down to 6 degrees (Celsius) that's about 42 degrees Fahrenheit. I wanted to start taking them out in the day and bringing them in at night for a while but my husband works away and goes back to work for 2 weeks early Tuesday morning. I can't carry the ducks on my own.
So, what's the better option? Keep them in the shower for the next 2 weeks until they're 8 weeks old, or put them outside in the weather? They have a dog kennel with straw and an undercover section in their pen but I don't know if it would still be too cold for them.
We have 4 runner ducklings, they are 6 weeks old today. They are almost fully feathered (small part on their backs still looks like it has baby feathers, it's still a bit fluffy). We have been raising them in a bathroom shower until they're old enough to go to their outdoor enclosure.
They're now quite big and really look a bit cramped and uncomfortable where they are. I take them out for a bath twice a day but otherwise they are in there all day while I'm at work and all night.
Question is: do you think it would be ok for them to go outside full time at this stage? A few of the nights are still getting down to 6 degrees (Celsius) that's about 42 degrees Fahrenheit. I wanted to start taking them out in the day and bringing them in at night for a while but my husband works away and goes back to work for 2 weeks early Tuesday morning. I can't carry the ducks on my own.
So, what's the better option? Keep them in the shower for the next 2 weeks until they're 8 weeks old, or put them outside in the weather? They have a dog kennel with straw and an undercover section in their pen but I don't know if it would still be too cold for them.