Do ducks need food and water overnight?

[Going Quackers]

How old would you say is the right age to withhold food/water overnight? I am nervous about rodents! Thank you!!

2mths is the minimal, i think mine were like 2.5mths when i yanked it, Storey's guide to ducks has an aging recommendation. I'll go look it up.

 

[duckchix]

Thank you so very much!

 

[Deleted member 94844]

My adult ducks sleep in the house at night and I do not put food or water in their kennel... 1) the towel they sleep on stays clean and dry, and 2) they poop much less. They are in from around 7pm to 7am. I will usually go in with a bowl of fresh water before we go to bed and let them have a long drink. In the morning they get a scoop of Mazuri on the pond, followed by a mid-morning veggie snack, and another scoop of Mazuri for lunch. They rarely get afternoon treats which keeps the indoor elimination at a minimum. We are all healthy and happy with this system.

I think offering food at night is totally unnecessary for adult ducks and possibly unhealthy. More, if the ducks are housed outside it will attract vermin and predators. Offering water is probably a good idea if they are kept outdoors unattended, so long as it will not drench their bedding.

As others mentioned, ducklings need food and water 24/7.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I switched to no water at night with my flock of adults... Then it got HOT. So I've gone back to providing water at night, and I think my ducks are much happier with it.

 

[Starkasm]

I look at it this way, they like your company at night and as long as you like theirs....it's all good

 

[Tara Glass]

I am wondering the same thing! But after reading all of this, I still don't know. Specifically about water, I stopped putting food in thier locked coop at night but still put water in. They drink half if what I leave at night (or drink a couple swigs and make a mess of the rest.) They are just 7 weeks old but I'm thinking no water overnight.

 

[ChickyNicky05]

This has been my experience: I do supply water in their pens in the summer and on hot days. I find that my ducks drink very little after 7pm, and no water cuts down on the mess they make in their pens. I also take up their food in the evening, since they forage and have duck food out all day. They don't seem to be suffering from hunger, and taking up the food at night has really cut down on the rats and mice problem I was having. My ducks all appear to be very healthy and happy.

What age did you start taking up food/water at night? We are about to finish our new duck house and my boyfriend is adamant about not putting food/water in there. I am worried they are too young - 5 weeks. They have a run they can go out in during the day (eventually they will free range but they are still new to us - we got them a week ago)

 

[harmonymw]

I think I took the water out of the house at around 8 weeks

 

[ChickyNicky05]

I'm wondering if I put the food and water in a large pan (like one of those deeper cookie sheets) if that would keep the mess down?

 

[Miss Lydia]

At 6 weeks they can go with out food and water over night, but if you want to keep it in there longer try an under the bed storage tote they work well for keep things pretty contained.