pls help me prepare ducks for the coming frigid weather (VIDEO)

[RachG75]

Sorry it's over two minutes, but I will REALLY appreciate you taking the time to watch it and comment with suggestions and ideas. This is all new to us. I just want to keep them safe! I had no idea how much my son and I would fall in love with these two. I think we did a pretty good job planning this structure...What else can we do to their new yard to allow them to use it when it's well below freezing? The weather is definitely colder than average. We usually don't get this kind of weather until January.

Obviously, putting them in their house without food and water during the day is not a very good option and putting food and water IN their house is a pretty bad option too. We have not finished the little structure that will connect the yard to the house and allow them to come and go as they please. Hopefully soon, but that won't help us with the major cold snap coming tomorrow!

 

[Amiga]

As long as their feathers are in good condition, swim pan is fine. You might consider setting up some straw bales - not right near the heat lamp, but in a spot sheltered from wind, perhaps that gets the most sun - and they may like sitting on top of the straw. You could set up three bales with some loose straw in the middle that they could tuck themselves into, and just noodle around.

 

[Adalida]

If your ducks are ingrates like mine, they will turn up their bills at their lovely warm house and happily lay out in the frozen yard eating snow. In this pic, their heads and backs have a light covering of snow from laying there for so long. By the way, temps here today are 20 below 0.

 

[Adalida]

Mine used to have a 25 gallon tub with a small stock tank heater, but I took it out last week. That's only because between the six of them, they splashed out SO MUCH water (pretty much all 25 gallons daily) which resulted in a ridiculous amount of ice build up. They have a bucket to dunk their heads now and I'll fill up their pool for them outside the pen later this week. My Muscovy isn't quite as fond of the cold as the others but they will all pile into their pool no matter the temp. It's funny because after they get out, there will be frozen drops of water all over their feathers. I'm amazed at how cold hardy they are though.

Your video is cute and your ducks seem super happy.