Days are getting shorter

[BelovedBirds]

First winter with ducks! Well... Dougie hatched on Christmas day so technically its my first winter with adult ducks.

The days are getting very short, sun up at 7 ish, sun down at 6 ish. It will get dark by 4pm soon enough. I get my girls in at sun down, and up at sun up. I don't really want water, or food, in the coop, but they'll soon be in their house for up to 13, 14 hours, really long nights for them. Are they going to be okay without food for that long, without water, without grit?
I dont particularly want them to have water overnights, but it seems like a long time without anything, and that time will only get longer as the days shrink.

Probably a stupid question, I dont know, but what do y'all do in the winter?

 

[Aunt Angus]

First winter with ducks! Well... Dougie hatched on Christmas day so technically its my first winter with adult ducks.

The days are getting very short, sun up at 7 ish, sun down at 6 ish. It will get dark by 4pm soon enough. I get my girls in at sun down, and up at sun up. I don't really want water, or food, in the coop, but they'll soon be in their house for up to 13, 14 hours, really long nights for them. Are they going to be okay without food for that long, without water, without grit?
I dont particularly want them to have water overnights, but it seems like a long time without anything, and that time will only get longer as the days shrink.

Probably a stupid question, I dont know, but what do y'all do in the winter?

Not a stupid question! My girls have water 24/7, but it doesn't get crazy cold here (usually). If things freeze, I just chip out the ice.

I am curious what others do, too. Heated bowls? Or no water at all? Hmmm...

 

[BelovedBirds]

Not a stupid question! My girls have water 24/7, but it doesn't get crazy cold here (usually). If things freeze, I just chip out the ice.

I am curious what others do, too. Heated bowls? Or no water at all? Hmmm...

up until recently they get water 24/7, it doesn't freeze here, but they do make a mess with it so its not my preference anymore-- wet bedding isnt great for winter
but 13+ hours without seems too much

 

[Aunt Angus]

up until recently they get water 24/7, it doesn't freeze here, but they do make a mess with it so its not my preference anymore-- wet bedding isnt great for winter
but 13+ hours without seems too much

If you just want it for them to drink (not do the head dunk), maybe nipple waterers? They don't make a huge mess.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

Not a stupid question! My girls have water 24/7, but it doesn't get crazy cold here (usually). If things freeze, I just chip out the ice.

I am curious what others do, too. Heated bowls? Or no water at all? Hmmm...

We will be watering them in evening like about 6 p.m.ish and that gets them through until morning feeding of food and water.

 

[Callender Girl]

Winters here mean weeks of below-freezing temps, and since I use food to lure my ducks into their house at night (they will happily sit out in the snow all day, apparently unconcerned about the cold), I feel like I have to give them access to indoor water.

I rotate waterers, thawing out frozen ones indoors and replacing them outdoors as needed. I leave the ducks' water dish inside their coop/shelter, but I put it on a plastic boot tray at one end of the coop so (most) of the water doesn't dampen their house and bedding.

 

[BelovedBirds]

If you just want it for them to drink (not do the head dunk), maybe nipple waterers? They don't make a huge mess.

thats something I hadnt thought of! theyve never used one, would they know how?

 

[BabyGotQuack]

thats something I hadnt thought of! theyve never used one, would they know how?

I don’t know about nipple waterers but I use poultry cups and they drink out of them just fine.

I’ve got water (with the poultry cups) in the coop 24/7 and then they free range all day with a pool and a couple buckets around for their head dunking.

In winter when it’s really cold the poultry cups do freeze even with a stock tank deicer in the bucket. Just a heads up.

 

[fatty and friends]

i give mine water 24/7, if you just put a couple puppy pads under their water it'll keep (most) of the bedding dry

 

[BelovedBirds]

i give mine water 24/7, if you just put a couple puppy pads under their water it'll keep (most) of the bedding dry

This is what I tried last night, but they managed to tip it over!
Ill try and combine puppy pads and use something to stabilise the bowl. Hopefully that should work for now...


Thanks for the advice all!