Duck Coop

[kitchenwdinah]

My ducks are 4 weeks old. We want to move them outside. They stay outside during the day. Weather is over 65 during the day and over 55 at night. They have been sleeping without heat lamp for the past two weeks indoors. Their outdoor enclosure is similar to a large kennel with a dog house inside. The kennel is safe from predators. The dog house is filled with straw but has no door. We tried to have them sleep outside but they refuse to sleep in the doghouse. Instead they lie on the wet mud in 55 degree temp. This concerned me so we brought them inside. Are ducks smart enough to move to a dry area to sleep if cold? Do I need put a door on the dog house and lock them in to keep them warm at night?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Does the dog house have ventilation if you did put a door on it? 55 isn't that cold unless your ducklings aren't feathered in. But laying in wet mud could cause them to chill. Does your kennel have a top? and is it chain link only? If yes then your ducks are not safe from predators. Hardware cloth and some kind of top secured down is the only thing that will keep predators out and then you have those that dig.

 

[kitchenwdinah]

The kennel has a top. It's actually for chicken but looks just like a dog kennel. We also wrapped hardware cloth around the base of the kennel so snakes couldn't get in and raccoons couldnt reach them through the fence. The ducks are 4 weeks and not fully feathered. I didnt want to put a door on the dog house so that they can come out in the morning when they want and if we go out of town for a couple days I am not worried about securing them in the dog house. My big concern is if they are smart enough to seek shelter. Or is that they slept outside of the doghouse a sign they really weren't very cold?There were dry places to sit but they wanted to be right next to their water which was a wet area.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's hard for me to say if they were cold were they spread apart from each other. If so probably they weren't cold. Sounds like you have it done right as far as their kennel you have given them the option of getting out of the weather. Maybe consider putting down some straw in their pen so they have something beside the ground to lay on.

 

[kitchenwdinah]

We actually have straw down too. Lol. They just picked the worst place to lay last night and I was worried about them because they aren't fully feathered. I may just keep bringing then in at night until they are fully feathered so I dont stress all night about them. They were all snuggled up so they were probably a little chilly last night.