Any ideas are welcome!

[gravitystar]

Thank you.

I a totally over stressing this!

I am in Sussex County NJ, I think it's around 27 here right now, not all that bad. I just worry. I have had dogs all my life, never birds and never an animal that lived outside so I am hopeful that after this winter I will be a seasoned duck owner and will no longer bugout about the cold.
I have fallen head over heels for these nuggets and it would crush me if something happened to them that I could prevent, as I am sure all of you feel the same.

I will try not to bring them in then, that makes so much sense that it would be worse to have them warm then stick them out into the cold. We lost 2 cats and a guinea pig this year, so I guess I have gone over the deep end on the protection aspect of the duck business.

And I am going to pick up some cat food, they don't like the cracked corn and will not touch it!

I really appreciate everyone's help!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you.

I a totally over stressing this!

I am in Sussex County NJ, I think it's around 27 here right now, not all that bad. I just worry. I have had dogs all my life, never birds and never an animal that lived outside so I am hopeful that after this winter I will be a seasoned duck owner and will no longer bugout about the cold.
I have fallen head over heels for these nuggets and it would crush me if something happened to them that I could prevent, as I am sure all of you feel the same.

I will try not to bring them in then, that makes so much sense that it would be worse to have them warm then stick them out into the cold. We lost 2 cats and a guinea pig this year, so I guess I have gone over the deep end on the protection aspect of the duck business.

And I am going to pick up some cat food, they don't like the cracked corn and will not touch it!

I really appreciate everyone's help!

It has been very cold here with wind chills on top of that, we all worry about our babies even those of us that have had ducks for many years I have 3 going on 10yrs old, I keep all the houses open during the day for them and even have dog houses set up and other places for them to get under and behind for wind breaks etc. most of the time they are right out in it. Ducks are very hardy, your doing a good job just try not to stress yourself out about it. Giving them extras to help with body heat is good also I give mine dried mealworms and whole corn of an afternoon so when they go in their houses they have something to help them through the night. These are extras on top of their reg feed. So very sorry about your other losses this year. We've all been there in one way or another. I think most of us are over protective too. Just part of being a good flock mistress.

or master.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I think the plastic might not be a good idea. You want well ventilated but not drafty. The reason is you do not want moisture building up inside your duck house, and plastic will allow moisture to build up. Think of Saran Wrap. Not well ventilated. I too like dog houses. I also have a converted kids' playhouse, Altho that is rather drafty. But my ducks happen to love it. I also have a barn stall that my ducks are going into at night. Temps here have been about 15-20'F during day & I think 3'F overnight, plus wind hills in the negatives. I do not use lights either.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think the plastic might not be a good idea. You want well ventilated but not drafty. The reason is you do not want moisture building up inside your duck house, and plastic will allow moisture to build up. Think of Saran Wrap. Not well ventilated. I too like dog houses. I also have a converted kids' playhouse, Altho that is rather drafty. But my ducks happen to love it. I also have a barn stall that my ducks are going into at night. Temps here have been about 15-20'F during day & I think 3'F overnight, plus wind hills in the negatives. I do not use lights either.

I didn't want to give the impression my ducks sleep in open dog houses these are only for during the daylight hours to get out of the cold and wind, they are locked up at night. and I agree with HDF plastic will cause condensation to build up inside your house. I don't even close up my windows in the coops and houses I leave top part open for ventilation and air flow.

 

[Going Quackers]

Thank you.

I a totally over stressing this!

I am in Sussex County NJ, I think it's around 27 here right now, not all that bad. I just worry. I have had dogs all my life, never birds and never an animal that lived outside so I am hopeful that after this winter I will be a seasoned duck owner and will no longer bugout about the cold.
I have fallen head over heels for these nuggets and it would crush me if something happened to them that I could prevent, as I am sure all of you feel the same.

I will try not to bring them in then, that makes so much sense that it would be worse to have them warm then stick them out into the cold. We lost 2 cats and a guinea pig this year, so I guess I have gone over the deep end on the protection aspect of the duck business.

And I am going to pick up some cat food, they don't like the cracked corn and will not touch it!

I really appreciate everyone's help!

worry is normal BUT ducks and chickens aren't like regular old housepets, and i'll add a common one i have a farm cat he does not get heated anything(other than water) and he manages just fine, he doesn't come out of the hay barn in this wicked cold, but he is just fine.

If ducks/chickens are well fed, given proper shelter and are acclimatized to your temps they should be okay, if anything i understand extreme heat to kill off more than cold unless it's a heat hardy breed of coarse or completely non winter/cold hardy one.

I am 10F with a windchill of -2F... so i am cold, snowy and water is freezing faster than i keep it open, the birds are ok, honest. Even some of our youngest here, late summer hatches are scratching around the ground(those are banty silkie chickens) have call ducks outside right now as i type.

I would try whole corn mine suck that back like a kid with candy.

 

[veronicasmom]

Oh, I am sorry about the kitties and the pig. I have some of each and I love them dearly too. And I do understand what you mean, after losing other pets, one can get a bit gun shy.

I was very nervous the first winter we had ducks (2002), but they fared very well. I still am concerned about them in the cold, but, honestly, if they are healthy, have somewhere to go to get out of the elements and enough food and water, they will be fine. They are worse off being overheated than cold. I don't like heat lamps personally, the threat of fire is very scary to me. Again, I think straw is a very good insulator, so if you can pack their house with a nice thick layer on the really cold nights, they can hunker down in it. Their down will keep them warm. They puff up their feathers. I saw a couple of mine shivering today, and while I did not like it, there was not much I could do. Shivering is the body's way of generating heat. They had food, and had somewhere to get inside, but they chose to stay out. I agree that bringing them in and out of warm then cold is worse for them than staying out is. I assure you they will cope. I am glad you are "over protective" it is a sign of a good,loving owner.

I love Sussex County. I keep trying to get hubby to move down there (with me of course!). But he is a born and bred Mainer and is not all that fond of the idea. My sister lives in Andover. Sigh, I miss all my family and friends that are there....................I want to go home..........................

Keep us posted on how the kids do. But do try to relax a bit. We have members on here that live in Alaska and Canada and their ducks do just fine.

 

[gravitystar]

Thank you!

I am 5 mins from Andover in Newton!

Yesterday and last night we had a snow storm and I wanted to bring them in last night so bad but I refrained. When I put them in their house they had ice on their backs and bibs... I was terrified I would go down there this morning and I would have duck cubes... I was ecstatic when I heard them quack as I opened the door so I think I'm going to be a heck of a lot more trusting of their ability to survive... There are tons of wild ducks that hang out for the winter here so fingers crossed the babies will be fine.

I also did not add that insulation and plastic, I do not want to cause any condensation in the house and have them be wet. I will remain calm and quack on!!

I did have another issue today though. This morning when I went down I noticed dirt in their pen and their shouldn't have been and there were little prints in the snow around their house. So hubby and I moved their house and there was a giant RAT that somehow got in the pen and under the house... Can a rat kill a duck? He is no longer a problem and I cleaned up the nest, removed all the hay that I had down in the pen and put new in. Should this okay to let them back into the area, I know rats can harbor some nasty things?

Oh, one more question. My Drake, Ming, was the sweetest thing ever and a week ago he turned psycho. He attacks my boots when I walk in the pen, he will NOT let me near the girls at all... I went to take Quacks out of the house to check for the rat and he actually jumped up on my back and started biting my head! It was hysterical and all but why all of a sudden is he an attach duck? Do they get protective when a female is on her nest, because Quacks has suddenly been sitting on her nest... Ming gets upset when I take the eggs, he attacks my hands.

Again everyone, thank you all for the support, it really means a lot!! It is so awesome to have a place to come with these questions!!! You guys really are the best!

 

[veronicasmom]

Yes rats can take a duck. But more than likely it wanted their food and water. I had a mink in my rabbit pen a few years ago and he was trying to kill one of my rabbits. They are around the same size. I personally think you are ok to put the ducks back since you cleaned up the area. But someone else may chime in. Unfortunately, rodents are attracted by the food and it is hard to make a pen secure enough to keep them all out. I don't worry so much about the chipmunks and mice, but I don't like the rats (and I foster pet rats for a rescue, but don't appreciated the wild ones). I wouldn't set out rat bait, too dangerous something else will get into it.

We were at 6 degrees the other morning and my ducks were fine. Had 10" of snow today and they were fine again today. We did shovel a path in the pen to the pool and around it, but they stayed in the shed most of the day. They will normally do what is best for themselves. I do admit that tomorrow when it will be zero or below, I will worry, but there are nine of them and I will put down extra straw. They have gotten through it other winters, so I just have to relax and realize they will again. As said before, they are out of the elements and have plenty of food to keep them plump.

Drakes can be like that. He is maturing. My runner drake is a bit of a pill sometimes, chasing me and nipping at my calves. However, he is easily intimidated by me if need be and I don't have to worry too much about him. He is just "being a boy". If he is really a problem to you, you may have to exert some dominance over him. But it is natural duck behavior. If you can handle his attitude, then just keep an eye on him and let him be what nature intends him to be. I have only had this one drake and from what I read he is a nice one. Some of them can be rather nasty. There are threads on here about drake behavior and how to handle it if you search for them. YOu can carry a broom and hold him away if you need to handle the girls or collect eggs. Or an open umbrella (they don't like those! LOL). I find Virgil is bratty at certain times, and other times basically ignores me. Do some reading on drake behavior and decide how to proceed.

My niece's in laws live in Newton. Lovely people. Small world!!