Ducklings not keen on heat source!

[ducknovice]

Hi there,

I'm new to poultry keeping and hoping you can help me with some questions.

I collected 3 khaki campbell ducklings two days ago. I was expecting day-olds but was told they were actually 6 days old, so 8 days old now.

I have a brooder in our porch with one of these heat lamp replacements. They haven't been keen on it at all and didn't want to go under it as soon as they arrived. They seemed scared of it, presumably as it wasn't like the heat lamp they were used to. I've got a thermometer so pretty confident it's not too hot and I've raised it up to ensure they are comfortable with head room.

I was panicked about them being too cold (temperature in the porch is about 50 degrees) so I made a skirt around it with a hatch so that I can keep them under it if necessary. For the first 24 hours I was putting them under it for a while and shutting the hatch whenever I found them piled up together, presuming they were cold.

I've since noticed that, if I pop them in there after dark, they will stay under it all night - even with the hatch open - but they still will not voluntarily go under there during the day. They are eating and drinking fine and seem pretty happy though very skittish.

I don't want to keep upsetting them by forcing them under it, or keeping them away from their water so I'm tempted to think they don't want the heat during the day and to leave them to do as they wish. They are sleeping snuggled up when not under it though not really 'dog-piled'.

Should I just get an ordinary heat lamp that presumably they will like more? Or will they be ok with no heat during the day and only at night? FYI I've put a radiator in the porch and got the air temperature up to about 70 as I was worried about them.

Thank you!

Anxious new mother to three little quackers!

 

[ducknovice]

Bump! Thanks for your help.

 

[Ducks4us]

in my experience they get pretty used to things pretty quickly and dont like change all too well. if they are seeming comfortable at 70 degrees i would let them be.
if you think they are chilly then yes a heat lamp is prob better if thats what they were used to. ducks dont usually like it as warm as chicks do either so by this age they prob already wouldnt like it much more than 75ish degrees or so. mine didnt anyway . 80 or more and they all spread out too warm and stayed further away from the light
the skirt around it they may not like either...

 

[ducknovice]

Thanks very much! They actually didn't go under it at all last night as far as I can tell. I've raised it up more, taken the skirt off and just accepted they are going to do as they wish. Luckily the weather is warming up.

If I see them dog-piled I'll get a heat lamp.

 

[Ducks4us]

Thanks very much! They actually didn't go under it at all last night as far as I can tell. I've raised it up more, taken the skirt off and just accepted they are going to do as they wish. Luckily the weather is warming up. 


If I see them dog-piled I'll get a heat lamp. 

Good deal, i think they will be just fine. Especially since your paying attention so well. That way you will know if they start seeming too cold.