Can my ducklings sleep outside?

[WVduckchick]

I put my 4 out at 3 weeks. They are locked overnight in a 3'x6' by about 3' high box built of plywood. I have a heat lamp with a fan on it, mounted in the center, aimed toward one end. It got down to about 40 one night, but the box stayed in the 70's. They have done fine. They just got too big and smelly to keep inside any longer. They are Swedish breed. May not be a popular decision, but it was my best option.

 

[casportpony]

Mine go out during the day, but at night I place them in a large box on my front porch. Several are bigger, so the smaller ones snuggle up with them. If any look like they aren't doing well that way, they come inside until morning. Lows here now are in the high 30's or low 40's

-Kathy

 

[BecBettencourt]

I used to raise squirrels and I found one of their old cages and made it work. it's suppose to be rainy and snowy so I think they'll need to be inside for a couple more nights

 

[casportpony]

I used to raise squirrels and I found one of their old cages and made it work. it's suppose to be rainy and snowy so I think they'll need to be inside for a couple more nights

That looks good!

-Kathy

 

[localife]

Mine went out at 4 weeks in low 40's and windy weather -- I made a space in their pen partially surrounded by straw bales to both insulate and block the wind and hung a heat lamp with a 250 watt bulb above, about two and a half feet from the ground. It allows them to get away from the heat lamps if they get hot, but to be quite toasty if they are cold. In the morning when I go down to check on them, they appear quite content and plenty warm. (They have a house, but they seem to strongly prefer not going into it.)

I found the trickiest part to be that they aren't all feathering out at the same rate, which is why have enough space for them to get away from the lamp was important to me. And indeed, the more completely feathered of them prefer to be on the outskirts of the light and the less feathered are often directly below it in the morning. In the interest of full disclosure, however, I will admit that I checked on them several times a night for the first two nights because I was so worried that they would be too cold....