Cold weather Ducks?

[Going Quackers]

Month old's are good, if the person really knows there birds they should be able to get you drakes or hens(unless of coarse you know how to sex them young!).. i just bought 2 three wk old hens last weekend. We are putting nest boxes in our mini duck barn, since we have hens. Otherwise it's just open, we'll bed with straw when old man winter comes back.. otherwise i like my shavings lol As i said before we can run hydro so if we find we cannot keep the birds warm enough we will add our heat lamp.. ours winters seem to be getting pretty brutal.. but i am hoping we can avoid using alternate heat sources but again we're prepared otherwise.

We have a run just a dog kennel.. but there only in there certain times.. otherwise we free range, it is not nor never will be attached to the duck barn.. we just herd them over it's just a left turn from the barn anyways lol i've seen many here use tarps to cover sides of runs to reduce wind chill and snow blowing in. Our run top is already covered.. wood privacy lattice with wire which will have to be beefed up to support snow.. I admit we're taking a bit of a wait & see approach to see how they respond.. and we'll adjust our set up accordingly.

 

[AKCub]

Thanks for all the info gang.

I'm picking up 3 three week old Muscovy's tomorrow. Just finished up the new coop. It ended up 4 feet wide by 40" deep by 49" tall. I placed a raised shelf about a foot off the main area floor on the opposite end of the coop from the duck entry door. I also hinged one end for cleaning things out rather than the roof as originally planned. I plan on using shavings for bedding for the time being. The pellet setup looks pretty good as well.

Some more questions for you:

1- How much natural light does a coop need? I have soffit style vents for the eave areas and that is all the natural light getting into the coop (not much in other words)

2- The girls are currently with mom and have no supplemental heat. The coolest it is getting now is about 50 degrees. Should I still follow the guidelines for temperature in the forum even though they haven't had any supplemental heat ?

3- For the time being I plan on putting food and water in the coop in a double pan style setup I have seen described in the forum to minimize mess. Do they need access to both food and water 24 hours a day or can I place food in the am and remove it in the evening?

4- How high is too high to place a shelf for them to sleep without a ramp? Right now the area I think they will bed down is about 11" off the floor. I can throw a couple chunks of Cedar 4" x 4" in there for them to use as steps if needed. A ramp will complicate cleanup some...

5- Any thoughts or warnings on types of insulation to avoid? I was planing on using blueboard cut to fit inside the joists and an expansion type foam for any gaps to prevent drafts.

6- I've seen that some folks put vinyl or linoleum flooring on the floor of the coop to aid in cleaning. It seems like this would be very slippery for the ducks. If I put some kind of flooring in there should I wait until they are a little older?

7- Is there a best way to introduce these guys to their new home?

Thanks again,

Scott

 

[JosieR]

I don't know about Muscovy's...they fly, right? Do they roost like chickens? I would skip the shelf for sleeping, if they are like other ducks they will be just fine on the floor, leaning against a wall.

The insulation in my duck house is in the walls and then there is some type of white, smooth board on top of it (I forget what it's called but I can hose it out and it goes all the way up the walls). I put a generous layer of bedding on top so there is no area where the ducks can slip.

I don't know if the vents will be enough, you might want to add a window for extra ventilation and so if the weather is really bad you can leave them inside. Is there an attached run that they can come out into?

50 degrees is too cool for 3 week olds. Is their mother coming with them? I would keep them inside under a light under a light until they are feathered, stepping down the amount of heat you use gradually.

I give mine food and water all night until they are 5 weeks or so. They come out and free range during the day with water spots all over the yard and get food only when they go in at night. Food and water come out after an hour or so. If it's very hot in the evening I will put some ice cubes in the water can and let them keep it through the night.