cold weather

[daisysducks]

okay so this week the weather is supposed to get all the way to 0° Fahrenheit, i attached the forecast to this post. is there any advice on what i can do to keep my ducks warm and safe? i really don’t want to risk them getting too cold i’m just really worried about their heath. if anyone has anything they can recommend or literally any advice ig would mean a lot. thank you!
will they be okay?

 

[sourland]

If they have a dry , draft free shelter, adequate feed and water, they will be fine.

 

[KaleIAm]

Are they fully feathered adults?

 

[daisysducks]

Are they fully feathered adults?

yes they’re 8 months old

 

[KaleIAm]

yes they’re 8 months old

I'm with @sourland then. Ducks are surprisingly cold tolerant. I tend to coddle my ducks, but I would still feel comfortable leaving them out in an unheated draft free enclosure. I make sure my ducks have plenty of dry bedding. I give them lots of healthy food during the day. And I remember that they are wearing the best down coats!

 

[3bird]

Good advice above! We have six silver Appleyards in Maine, and they do great in cold temperatures. The only time we lock them in to the duckhouse is if temps well below 0F coincide with a blizzard (gale force winds). Otherwise they have 24/7 access to their run, which is covered for the winter with 6mm plastic on three sides. We use the deep litter method in the duckhouse, but we do put extra bedding down when it's that cold. We also serve a soup year-round for breakfast and dinner, and in the winter it's a warm soup, which they seem to really enjoy! Usually their soup is peas and greens (with a mealwork crumble), but we'll add some corn on really cold evenings. I'll also toss in some cracked corn (aka crack) when it's super cold. Other than that, we just make sure they have fresh, clean water, and they do great! Those who have ducks will not be surprised that the only part of the run with snow will be their default place to be in a snowstorm ;-) :

 

[Pollo Blanco]

If it's getting down around freezing, I set foam panels around their pen and build a makeshift roof with foam panels and place a 100 watt reptile heater in the center of the roof.
Yes, I know that it's unnecessary, but I feel better doing it, and it can't hurt. Keeps the pen temperature about ten degrees warmer than the shed temperature.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

So, the Wyse camera has arrived and is set up in the ducks coop. Snowy weather and eight inches of snow.
So, maybe they don't need to have a heat source, but look where they have chosen to lay when they came into the coop.