Can new heatlamp be causing them to lay first eggs in Winter?

[LilDucky85]

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No feathers that I've noticed other than the few laying around like normal. Like I said the light doesnt give off that much heat so I dont think it would be that much of a difference.

 

[10ducks]

Perhaps some duck breeds need 14 hours of light to lay, but Khaki Campbells are famous for laying right through the winter. Runners also often lay upwards of 300 eggs a year. This is the winter solstice, so the day length here in SE Michigan is less than 10 hours now, and my Khakis are producing almost an egg a day each. Sometimes one or another takes a day off. They are sleeping in a coop with no supplemental light or heat, just a thick layer of straw on the floor. I give them a big bucket of fresh water every morning and night, and feed them a layer ration. They seem really happy and look plump and healthy; they love the snow.

 

[LilDucky85]

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Thanks so much! Im thinking about turning off the heat but Im not sure what to do now. I live in Illinois so our weather is pretty similar. How many duck do you have? I have 6 and Ive heard that each others body heat is enough to get them through the winter. Im just worried about their feet and bills getting frostbite. I cant seem to get enough hay in there for them. Every day I lay a thick layer down and its flat to the ground by the next day. Its either damp and poopy, or frozen and poopy by the next day. My 3 year old requires less maintenance then these ducks! lol

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Have you considered the deep litter method? It creates heat and is easy to maintain. It should work well in your climate. Here is a thread that describes how to do it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=256518&p=1

 

[Picky Chicky]

I'm probably a mean chicken mommy. I really need to change out our heat lamp light from the "normal" yellow light to the red heat lamp light. I keep that light on at all hours to keep them warm. My girls seem happily adjusted, but I was worried (and still do get a little nervous from time to time) that they're sitting up at 2am cussing me in Chicken Swear.

 

[Picky Chicky]

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I second the DLM suggestion - I used it all last year and am doing it again this year. Still, I'm using the heat light though.

 

[LilDucky85]

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i am using that. I throw more hay on top each time, they just pack it down so fast it doesnt even make a difference when I add more hay! I cleaned it out one day a few weeks ago while a 30 degree heat wave came in. Let me tell you...I HATE hay! It is so messy and gets everywhere!

 

[valentinebaby]

LilDucky - Know I'm posting a follow-up late, but wanted to add something re: molting. All of my girls were laying great until all of the sudden in mid-November North Texas went from 70+ degrees one day down to 17 the next! That immediate change in temperature brought 3 of them into an "early" molt. I decided to add a heat lamp to their coop when our temps, quite unusual for us here, decided to dip down below 30 or in the teens every night for the last month. Felt the girls who were molting and looked awful could use it. Also, since I have a passive ventilation roof (see my BYC page) which is open at the front and back, the heat is not held in as well as a closed roof would be. Since I added the lamp, those who went into an early molt seem to have sped up in their molting process and seem much happier. I believe greatly in following your own instincts and not reading too many books! Hope all is well! Gail

 

[LilDucky85]

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Thank you for posting that! Its never to late to add something. Did yours stop laying when they molted? They all seem to be doing great other than the girls getting beat up by the boys. Now I wonder if they would be mating if I didnt have the light on? I didnt realize until a few days ago, but I decorated their house with Christmas lights (which I kept on on 24/7 all month) so there was actually more light then just the red bulb. The eggs really were a Christmas surprise lol.

 

[Lund121671]

yes, ducks are messy and if inside you really want to make sure they can't get into that water and make a mess. I would use a deep pan with a large wire mesh (hog panel or similar) to place over so they can still completely submerge there head, but not there body. I would however make sure they have access to the outdoors with a good water source every few days to do a good cleaning and keep those feathers looking great (this is the key to staying warm) I would venture to say the bulb is giving off enough light to kick in egg production unless they are just getting mature enough to lay on there own. My call ducks have always spent all of there time outside in winter here in wisconsin with no problems, but it is such a pain shoveling pathes for them that I brought them in this winter for the first time. The light is on every day for around 8 hours and that is it and so far no eggs. I use shavings mixed with hay and straw chaf and mix it up real good every day so it stays fluffy (they sure can pack that down)