Cold, Rainy and WET DUCKS!

[HomesteadDucks]

Any concerns about having wet ducks? Here it is cold and rainy and it's supposed to freeze tonight. Regardless, my ducks decided to go swimming and their feathers are soaked. I put them inside temporarily to dry out. Should I be concerned about them being so wet in the winter? How can I dry them out?

 

[KerAlexisFarms]

Ducks and water are inseparable, aren't they??

My Pekin and American Buff geese just HAVE to take a wet bath every day...snow, freezing rain and ice do NOT keep them from their bathing ritual!! I wouldn't worry unless the ducks are still young...that's when soaking has proven lethal for our young ducklings. Having said that, it might not be a bad idea to use the water trough heater and keep their water source in a sheltered area if possible. Of course, if you have a pond or natural water source that isn't practical. We keep their bathing access to a kiddie pool that's only half full... And dump it when 'bath time' is over. Hope that sounds reassuring... Please update your post to keep us in the loop!

 

[HomesteadDucks]

It is now raining very hard with about an inch or more of water on the ground. All of the snow is melting too. The ducks seem to be in heaven so I'll let them play. I just put fresh bedding in their house so it should all be fine... hopefully. Thank you for responding!

 

[rainplace]

Any concerns about having wet ducks? Here it is cold and rainy and it's supposed to freeze tonight. Regardless, my ducks decided to go swimming and their feathers are soaked. I put them inside temporarily to dry out. Should I be concerned about them being so wet in the winter? How can I dry them out?

Are you saying your duck's feathers are not repelling water and look wet? If so, I would be concerned about letting them be in the rain when it is so cold out. There's a thread over in the geese section about "wet feather."

 

[Adalida]

My 8 ducks go swimming every day and our temperatures have not gotten over 24 degrees for about two weeks now (and much colder at night). Their feathers get frosty but they don't mind. They've got a nice heated house which they generally don't go into. They're hearty! I've got Rouens, Indian Runners and a Swedish blue.

 

[ryanhodapp]

This is my first winter with ducks.
I live in Missouri where we have had all the rain. Now it has turned bitterly cold 8 degrees this morning. The ducks don't care. They seem to only go in to lay an egg.

is that ok? all their water was frozen this morning. they weren't happy ducks, but I didn't know how to actually keep their swimming water un-frozen.

suggestions, since I know it is colder in Montana.

Marlene

 

[rainplace]

This is my first winter with ducks.
I live in Missouri where we have had all the rain. Now it has turned bitterly cold 8 degrees this morning. The ducks don't care. They seem to only go in to lay an egg.

is that ok? all their water was frozen this morning. they weren't happy ducks, but I didn't know how to actually keep their swimming water un-frozen.

suggestions, since I know it is colder in Montana.

Marlene

When I can't keep their swimming water unfrozen, I don't worry too much about it, I just make sure to keep their drinking water unfrozen. During extended frozen periods, I will make the effort to get the pool filled occasionally. When they've had about an hour of swimming, I'll dump the pool so it doesn't freeze and is easily refilled the next time.

I use dishwashing tubs for their water similar to this :https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...-ZHzQRByKklRieSQplNADpWt-gWWk8b76V5DgNzeC62VK
I get them for $1.98 per tub so I have a lot of them. If I can't break and dump the ice, I'll bring a couple new ones from the house. I fill a large watering can inside and use it to fill the tubs (hoses are hard for me to keep unfrozen). When a duck really wants to bathe they climb in them, though it's a bit cramped... funny looking too. I use to a have goose that would climb in them too, she looked really funny with her feet hanging over the edges!

 

[HomesteadDucks]

They are repelling water just fine. I think it's just the long exposure to moisture that's making them wet. Of course it doesn't help much that they are swimming.

 

[ryanhodapp]

@rainplace
I have those small pans too. Mine sometimes squeeze two at a time.
We had a small kiddie pool but my son just poked a hole through it this week when breaking up the ice.

So small tubs is all they have until summer. Poor ducks

 

[seashoreduck]

My previous set of ducks were "lucky" to live on a river that didn't freeze. They LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. In-fact, because they were free range they tended to even sleep on the river. I contacted the local cooperative extension who told me that ducks will darned well let you know when they are unhappy. The most important piece of the puzzle is food. Wild ducks will rarely die from cold they explained, but will often die from lack of food. Except for one very blustery day when they tried to run back into my basement (where I raised them) they shunned anything but food...even their very cozy shelter.