Are heat lamps okay for adult ducks?

[Vyctoria]

So we've been getting into the colder winter temps finally, about 20 degrees at night. Not too bad really, but I don't do well in the cold so it feels much colder to me, haha. I live in NY if that helps to gives you an idea on our weather. I've been using a heat lamp in my coop for my 6 ducks at night to help keep it a bit warmer, but I keep it higher up so it just lightly warms the room and prevents their water from freezer over completely. It also helps me to see because if not for the light it would be pitch black at night due to the coop not having any windows(it was given to me for free and my father refuses to help me add one).

That said, I've had my two older hens laying together now, my Cayuga just started a few days ago, but my Blue Swedish has been going for a long time now. She just recently started laying two eggs a night for the past 3 nights. I was told that they're supposed to take breaks here and there and now I'm just really paranoid that she might over do it. Could the heat lamp be throwing her cycle off? I didn't expect eggs until the spring and I just worry that I'm causing it. I know they can do just fine in the winter without extra heat and I even keep it strawed down for them.

I've also noticed that she's been gaining more weight lately and it bugs me because she's getting around slower and slower. I want them all to be healthy, but no matter how I adjust their food they just keep gaining. They're currently on a mix of Nutrena all flock pellets and egg layer crumbles, and I just started leaving some oyster shell out too. I have a drake so I was worried about doing just the egg layer. I've also been adding rooster booster powder to their water. Is weight gain normal in winter? Or could I be feeding too much? I don't really weigh the portions out.

 

[Amiga]

If they are out in the cold, I would not be too worried about weight gain - they may need the extra insulation.

I would put a min-max thermometer (not the mercury kind, something safe) out there at duck level to monitor the temperatures.

Also - just be aware that there is a safety risk with heat lamps and bedding. I will trust you are making sure there is not a fire risk.

If she is less than a year old, then your Swedish may be within the range of normal. We have smaller breeds, and their first two or three years, they were laying through most or all of winter. We keep ours in a "barn" section of our walkout basement. It stays above 40F even in winter. That does not seem to cause any problems.

 

[chickens really]

I feed this....Mine were getting pudgy too......

Duck feed, finisher.......Oat and Barley crumbles......Scratch grain twice a week and cat food once a week.......a couple handfuls for the extra protein......Lots of veggies, Alfalfa hay or cubes softened in water.......


Cheers!

 

[Vyctoria]

I just found 3 eggs in her nest today! Two large eggs, plus a smaller one. They were all burried in the same little straw nest in the corner where she always puts them, but I also didn't find any more from my other duck so I'm suddenly wondering if it's all been just one duck. I can't even confirm for sure that it's her. Is that even possible for a duck? I've been finding 3 eggs each morning for a while, usually scattered, but never all together like they were. Will a duck sit and add to another duck's eggs?

 

[davedin3]

I am in Minnesota and with the current cold snap (-9 this am) I put a heat lamp in my coop and my ducks hated it and avoided the heat the best they could. The light (I think) messed up their cycles because they were no longer laying in the early morning, instead they laid sometime mid day. By the time I was able to get to the eggs they had frozen and cracked.