3-4wk ducklngs outside?

[schultzbear]

I am new to ducks lol but i have 3 almost 4 wk old ducklings that are starting to feather...they have been staying in garage with heat lamp and today i let them out in the chicken run...its been between 50-65 during day.....they have been playing in the water should i get them and dry them and put them with a heat lamp or will they be ok? I was planning on bringing them back in garage with a heat lamp at night or should i leave them out with the chickens in the coop? We have one older female duck and she puts herself in coop at night but i really doubt she'll let them cuddle with her lol she is terrified of the lil guys...any help would be great..THANKS

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am new to ducks lol but i have 3 almost 4 wk old ducklings that are starting to feather...they have been staying in garage with heat lamp and today i let them out in the chicken run...its been between 50-65 during day.....they have been playing in the water should i get them and dry them and put them with a heat lamp or will they be ok? I was planning on bringing them back in garage with a heat lamp at night or should i leave them out with the chickens in the coop? We have one older female duck and she puts herself in coop at night but i really doubt she'll let them cuddle with her lol she is terrified of the lil guys...any help would be great..THANKS

4 week old ducklings can take a beating from already resident chickens and ducks. Best to introduce slowly so the ducklings are accepted as part of the flock. If they aren't completely feathered then they may not have sufficient oil to keep their feathers they do have from getting too wet and they could chill. My ducklings were out playing in water at less than a week old but they had a mama duck to take care of their needs. I think I'd keep them in the garage over night till completely feathered. As for temps they need around 70 degrees right now to keep them comfortable.

 

[CBrumit]

Recently we added more chickens, ducks and guinea to our flocks. The ducklings inside the brooder house were engaged in conversation with the ducks outside the house in the barnyard. The adult ducks would actually stand outside the brooder house and talk to the ducklings. When the ducklings were about 6 weeks old they were big enough to let out with the others.

By big enough, I meant they had their feathers and would not fit through the fence. (We have all sorts of predatory animals that would get them outside the fence.)

I was worried the chickens would bother them, but they didn't. The adult ducks immediately took in the ducklings as part of the flock and remain so. The drake even went so far as to take control by protecting them from the roosters.

We let the chicks out at the same time, but still have the guinea inside. We were concerned the guinea would try to roost in the same tree as the hawks and osprey.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Recently we added more chickens, ducks and guinea to our flocks. The ducklings inside the brooder house were engaged in conversation with the ducks outside the house in the barnyard. The adult ducks would actually stand outside the brooder house and talk to the ducklings. When the ducklings were about 6 weeks old they were big enough to let out with the others.

By big enough, I meant they had their feathers and would not fit through the fence. (We have all sorts of predatory animals that would get them outside the fence.)

I was worried the chickens would bother them, but they didn't. The adult ducks immediately took in the ducklings as part of the flock and remain so. The drake even went so far as to take control by protecting them from the roosters.

We let the chicks out at the same time, but still have the guinea inside. We were concerned the guinea would try to roost in the same tree as the hawks and osprey.

This has worked for you but isn't always the case, some drakes are mild mannered others would kill ducklings if given the chance, and just recently some ducklings were attacked by some hens this member had one died so I always like to err on the side of caution to keep anyone from heartbreak. and it's not always the case that adult members of a flock will accept ducklings even if they were hatched by one of their own, Best to give the ducklings away to get a away from the adults if need too. Glad to hear it all worked out for your flock though.