Can they go outside????

[tia]

I think the answer is probably no... it is so pretty here today, but only 64 degrees. I was going to take the ducklings out in the yard a little bit... but I imagine it is too cold.... : (

Tia

 

[tia]

They are only a little over a week old... I guess you need that information....

 

[10ducks]

Do you mean you just want to take them out for an hour or two? As long as it is not raining, they will be fine. If they get too cold they will all huddle up and you'll know to take them back inside. As long as they go back to a nice brooder with heat, water, and food, excursions outside are okay. They will have fun and you will have fun watching them!

 

[Goat_Walker]

Ummm. Im not sure , but I take mine out daily from day one. But im not used to your weather.... either way here is a friendly bumb

 

[FenDruadin]

I take mine out daily from day 1 too, but it is 90+ degrees here, and if anything, I worry about them getting overheated. Still, when I am raising ducklings in early Spring, I still take them out daily. I have a shoplight that I set up nearby that puts out a lot of heat, and they huddle up close to it when they get chilly. When most of them are huddling, I know it's time to head inside.

But, mind you, I also supervise them every second until they get a little older. Once they're a couple weeks old, I make a small temporary pen out of wire or whatever I have around to protect them from wandering dogs & hawks and so on, and then they can be outside without me as long as I'm home and can check on them periodically. Tomorrow, I should be getting a (used) large wire dog crate with a removable bottom pan, so I can just set it on the grass (with the bottom out so they can be right on the grass), put water and food inside, and let them stay out there even without me (they will be two weeks old Sunday). Of course, with the heat here, I make sure they have water to play in (no more than an inch or two) and lots of shade.

This is a side topic, but I was surprised this time around that after just a few days, the ducklings stopped using the brooder light altogether. I don't even have it on now, because they were spending all their time on the opposite side, and avoiding the light completely. With previous batches, it seems like they used the light for weeks. Is this the difference between home-hatched ducklings and those that spend two days in a shipping carton? Or is it the difference in the time of year (these are my first summer ducklings--but they're indoors, so the temp difference is only 10 degrees--which I guess is a lot...)?

Anyway, yes, feel free to give them supervised outings. Just watch for them to start acting cold.

 

[tia]

Thanks. It would be fun to watch them in the grass. the brooder isn't too large and it would be nice for them to get a little exercise too. I haven't let them swim yet either, and I'm really looking forward to that. : )

Tia

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
You are going to have SO much fun. Don't forget to take pictures!