Duck water ideas for winter?

[FernbergFarms]

Hi! I live in Minnesota and it gets verrrrry cold in the winter, last winter my duckies got by with just a heated gallon water dish, but this winter I would like them to have more water/ a better winter. Towards the end of the winter last year they’re bills were getting dry and their feathers were dirty. But when I gave them a pool they look perfectly healthy again! So does anyone have any ideas on what to do with their water in the winter that isn’t too expensive? Or just things that have worked for you guys in the winter? (When I said Minnesota gets cold in the winter I mean -30 to -50 some days sometimes colder)

 

[Miss Lydia]

I use heated buckets. And only put out a cement mixing tub when temps get into mid 30's during the day. thankfully we don't get as frigid ad you do. Hopefully, others will be able to help more with ideas. Do your ducks stay inside their coop a lot during those temps?

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

I have rubber livestock feeding bowls that I rotate. I bring a bucket of water from the house, fill the new clean bowls, and bring the dirty/frozen bowls in to dump, thaw, and clean. It’s not perfect, but it’s worked ok. They are indestructible, even if they fully freeze. I’ve thought about a heated base, but it looks like they can only be used with metal bowls, which I will not use. The only issue I’ve had is with the ducks feeling the need to bathe themselves in the bowl if they haven’t been able to get out into their “winter pool”. At any rate, I’m following as I’m open to improvements!

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

I use heated buckets. And only put out a cement mixing tub when temps get into mid 30's during the day. thankfully we don't get as frigid ad you do. Hopefully, others will be able to help more with ideas. Do your ducks stay inside their coop a lot during those temps?

What kind of heated buckets do you prefer? The ones I’ve seen have parts that contain brittle plastic or are difficult to clean thoroughly. I’m also worried about the chance of fire or electrocution introducing electricity around animals that spill water everywhere for a living!

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://corroshop.com/products/1097...ion=&msclkid=2a844037dc4117bba8892154b5873006 I love these buckets mine are around 6 years old and still working. I set them up on pieces of 2X4 so they aren't sitting in water. Never had any problems with them and since they run on a thermostat they only come on if 35 and below. These are heavy duty I even screw a scrap piece of wood over half the buckets so they can't climb inside just dunk their heads.Yes they have climbed inside
I can't even remember where I bought mine but they are def this brand.
I wouldn't rec sitting them inside a bowl etc where it would be sitting in water.

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

https://corroshop.com/products/1097...ion=&msclkid=2a844037dc4117bba8892154b5873006 I love these buckets mine are around 6 years old and still working. I set them up on pieces of 2X4 so they aren't sitting in water. Never had any problems with them and since they run on a thermostat they only come on if 35 and below. These are heavy duty I even screw a scrap piece of wood over half the buckets so they can't climb inside just dunk their heads.Yes they have climbed inside
I can't even remember where I bought mine but they are def this brand.
I wouldn't rec sitting them inside a bowl etc where it would be sitting in water.

Thank you!

 

[SegiDream]

You can try placing a pump in the water to disturb the surface and minimize freezing. Think aquarium/koi pond equipment or adjusting the pond design. Some pumps are solar powered, doesn't help much in the winter but if you're worried about power cables/electrocution/fire risk etc this might be an option. hth.

 

[fatty and friends]

mine don’t sleep outside so we don’t worry about freezing water, but we use big buckets for them to dunk their heads all day. would a bucket with something in it to keep the water moving/not freezing work?

 

[FernbergFarms]

Okay, I’ve thought about putting something in the water the keep the water moving and not freezing, but what could that be? Especially bc it gets so cold here. Also I’ve thought about a heated base but I’m not sure because our heated dog dishes we used last year gave out and our power with it from the outlet we were using because we were using it too much. But we didn’t really have a choice because it was so cold. So I just want something that would be more reliable. And safe/ getter for the ducks. What if I built a platform and insulated around their pool, do you guys think that that would keep it warm enough not to freeze? Thank you for all your thoughts, and ideas! Any suggestions are appreciated!!

 

[SegiDream]

Okay, I’ve thought about putting something in the water the keep the water moving and not freezing, but what could that be? Especially bc it gets so cold here. Also I’ve thought about a heated base but I’m not sure because our heated dog dishes we used last year gave out and our power with it from the outlet we were using because we were using it too much. But we didn’t really have a choice because it was so cold. So I just want something that would be more reliable. And safe/ getter for the ducks. What if I built a platform and insulated around their pool, do you guys think that that would keep it warm enough not to freeze? Thank you for all your thoughts, and ideas! Any suggestions are appreciated!!

Have you considered placing a greenhouse/cold frame over the pond? Greenhouse plus a pump might be all you need to keep the water from freezing. But I'm not used to northern winters so maybe someone else has some better ideas for you.

I don't know what kind of pond you have now but in ground is probably better than above ground. The deeper it is, the less likely it is to completely freeze over...