Ducklings Outside?

[karenmragan]

very clever. We have eagles here, which it looks like can carry up to 4 or 5 pounds! I don't think they would be able to take a full grown duck, but they'll definitely have to be full grown before they are safe from the skies.

Wow that's pretty cool that you get to see eagles where you live! Unfortunate that it makes poultry keeping a bit more complicated.
Until they can go out, they'll be really happy with any edible weeds or greens you bring them.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Yes, even if you have a good fence, it's best to keep them protected from aerial predators until they are too heavy to be carried off.
What I did was research the Raptors common to my area, and found the size of the heaviest species. A bird of prey cannot carry anything heavier than its own body weight.

that may be true but I can tell you they will kill them and eat them right on the ground in front of you!

 

[karenmragan]

that may be true but I can tell you they will kill them and eat them right on the ground in front of you!

That's true. In the end it's all up to the individual to assess how much risk they are willing to take.

 

[CayugaCrazy15]

Our ducklings are 4 weeks and our avg temps are mid 60s. We have brought them outside a bunch and they love it! They are cayugas so if the sun is out they stay quite warm!

 

[Trisseh]

Last year’s batch of ducklings went straight out into their coop with radiant heat in the form of a ceramic heat bulb and a heating pad. They could move closer or further from the “warm” corner to the cool as needed. They did not have access to outside at all until they were 2 weeks, then had a small wire pen to go in and out of during the day. By the time they were 4 weeks, they were out in their run during the day and put up at night. Nighttime ambient temps were in the 40s when I first put them out. They did fine. I just adjusted things as needed if they seemed too cool or too hot.

 

[calrock67]

I'm in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Our temperatures still get pretty cold at night, last night was 38 and Saturday was 32. The forecast is for around 50's at night for the next week. We should be on the upswing now. My ducks are about 5 weeks old, they are Pekin and starting to get feathers (they are turning white). Is it safe to put them out in their coop once I get it up and running by the end of the week? I don't want to put them out too early but they are getting too big for their space in my garage. I haven't used a heat lamp on them for about a week but I did over the weekend just at night because of the cold. The garage is not heated but is insulated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you have had them out getting acclimated to outside temps they should be fine 5 week old Pekins are pretty big an fluffy.