water for ducks in winter???

[Onlyducks]

Depends on the birds my calls do need water to swim in winter so i opt for small 3 GAL pans that i dump each night and refill several times daily. Frankly, my other larger mallard derived ducks would swim if i could do that for them too but my scovies will ice up so i opt to not keep swimming water out, they are neither mallard derived nor heavily waterproofed.

I still think those rubber livestock pans are the best, you can hammer the crud out of them and they easily hold water since they come in many sizes.

I agree. I use the 3 gallon pan for letting the ducks splash about in and a 2 gallon one for drinking/splashing. They do work really well. You just pick them up when frozen, drop on ground, and there goes the ice! It's great. At night, they have a heated dog dish with a partial cover to keep them from getting into it. (They are inside a greenhouse at night.)

My muscovies do like the 3 gallon pan for splashing. It's probably not essential for them to have, but on warmer days I let them splash. A couple of days ago, I went out a bit late and one was sitting in the 2 gallon pan. I was afraid she had sat too long and frozen down. Luckily, she was just sitting in slush. I make sure to go out sooner now!

 

[Free Feather]

I agree. I use the 3 gallon pan for letting the ducks splash about in and a 2 gallon one for drinking/splashing. They do work really well. You just pick them up when frozen, drop on ground, and there goes the ice! It's great. At night, they have a heated dog dish with a partial cover to keep them from getting into it. (They are inside a greenhouse at night.)

My muscovies do like the 3 gallon pan for splashing. It's probably not essential for them to have, but on warmer days I let them splash. A couple of days ago, I went out a bit late and one was sitting in the 2 gallon pan. I was afraid she had sat too long and frozen down. Luckily, she was just sitting in slush. I make sure to go out sooner now!

What do you mean by 3 gallon pan? Is it a black rubber dish?

 

[Onlyducks]

What do you mean by 3 gallon pan? Is it a black rubber dish?

Check out the second picture in my post at this link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/130753/muscovy-keepers-share-your-pics/11980

The two black pans are what I use. It's what you're calling a dish, I think. I have just always called the duck waterers pans, I guess. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Free Feather]

Yep, that is what I was thinking of. I love using those for the ducks but the pigs have stolen them all.

 

[Going Quackers]

these are the 3Gal ones i have for my calls.. i have big rubber ones for the big ducks... they all can take a beating and keep going, i actually stole one back from the ewes lol so they take massive abuse my ewe flock take their pans everywhere, as to the rams and boy those guys are rough on stuff.. so ducks that is easy.

 

[designcreature]

What I found works like a charm. I fix the water on the outside of their pen and adjust the wire so they can drink. They can't make a mess and it makes life much nicer for us all.
If you use a plastic water container, the frozen water pops right out and you are good to go.

If the weather warms to at least 36 degrees, I turn them out for a quick bath.

 

[cayugaducklady]

I love the flexible rubber pans for water.

I make a hole in the star for mine and cover it up to the rim with bedding straw. It stays liquid a lot longer than i thought possible due to the heat generated and insulation provided by the straw bedding. We've had days with a lwos of 0 and highs o 15. I can get about 8 hours of non frozen water.

I don't have any electricity down in my duck area.

I'm adding natural temp well water. Not sure on the temp but its probably around 60 degrees.

I have some solar powered bird drinkers I'm going to set up this weekend for test runs.

 

[designcreature]

Where did you get your 3 gal water pan? Thanks, Dolores

 

[AxolotlLove]

We have a kiddie pool now and in the mornings it is frozen.  what do you guys do for "swimming" in the winter.  do they NEED it?  or is a waterer (for drinking) all they need?

here are some of my ducks. We have a kiddie pool in the pen and they have a duck house in the pen that has a water dish with a heat lamp over it. Hope this helped

 

[Miss Lydia]

here are some of my ducks. We have a kiddie pool in the pen and they have a duck house in the pen that has a water dish with a heat lamp over it. Hope this helped

They look very happy. Mine got their pool for the fist time in a week[frozen spring water] they have been bathing all morning. Good thing because frigid temps are moving back in tomorrow which means no bath water again.

Welcome to BYC @AxolotlLove