Changing temps. How do they affect our ducks?

[Speceider]

Holly,

Temps are measured 6 feet above ground level with no overhead cover (think airport)....who's ducks are that exposed? There are 4 important temperatures to any animal....upper lethal....an animal cannot cool itself above that....upper critical..with metabolical energy increases, they can decrease their body temp......lower critical....where they have to increase metabolism....and lower lethal when they cannot increase metabolism enough to survive. Lower critical for mallards is based on a study no one I know believes (Harold and Prince)....my measures on ring-necked ducks and lesser scaup suggest it is around 4 degress Celsius.....so they do not need to increase metabolic heat increase until the temps they are exposed to exceed freezing

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

On The Natural Chicken Keeping Thread they have been discussing similar, I did read today a suggestion to read the Alaska State Thread. Just a thought. Personally my feeling is that its easier for the ducks to manage with just a day or two of rotten cold, as opposed to a week or two of rotten cold. Unless of course they've lived with those fluctuations and extremes their entire lives and therefore are adapted to such. Does that make sense?

 

[Speceider]

Sorry...hard on a phone..broke my thoughts...but why would fluctuating temps during short day lengths affect things...seems like a great feedback....short day lengths says variable temps....and duckling food resources... why put energy into nesting when it could freeze when ducklings are hatching?

Clint

 

[Speceider]

Guess the best way to make my point is....
If a mallard is floating on a long in South Dakota tonight ant the temp in Pierre is -10 F....what temp does the mallards "feel"....what would the of specific dynamic effect of it has an
esophagus full of corn (of course the other thread suggested it would be dead).

 

[CambridgeDucks]

We are expecting up to 50 below in two days here. I really want to put a heater in the shed, but almost all folks say let them be. They have a nice bed of straw and there are twelve ducks. My question is supplement heat or not.

 

[Speceider]

Simple answer is no.

Clint

 

[Miss Lydia]

After watching my flock yesterday I can say that temps as low as we had 8* in the morning was not easy on them. mostly they seemed to be bothered when walking kept raising their leg up shaking it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Guess the best way to make my point is....
If a mallard is floating on a long in South Dakota tonight ant the temp in Pierre is -10 F....what temp does the mallards "feel"....what would the of specific dynamic effect of it has an
esophagus full of corn (of course the other thread suggested it would be dead).

I have a question since you brought up Mallards in South Dakota, I would think this time of year there wouldn't be mallards in SD, Don't wild ducks/geese migrate south for the winter or is SD south for alot of ducks?

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Good question, ML. Your question raises an interesting point. Last night was 9'F, so not as cold as it has been lately, and not nearly as cold as what is to come, but most of my flock was away from the heat light this am, and very ready to get outdoors into the cold and windy weather.

Here is a really informative old thread for all of y'all to read thru. I'm currently on page 6 of 49... But this thread has given me cause to pause and re evaluate my management practices. Again, this thread is about chickens, which are very different from ducks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/421122/think-its-too-cold-for-your-chickens-think-again