Ducklings outside

[tkathleen]

I know EVERYONE asks this, and I've looked at a lot of those posts, but will you guys help me analyze my specific situation anyway? :

My ducklings (Pekins) were 4 weeks yesterday, partly feathered out, esp. on underbellies. I have had them in a wading pool brooder in the kitchen. Our house stays tolerably warm during the day, so I have the thermostat off inside now and a halogen bulb in heat lamp fixture placed very high above the brooder in case it gets too cold while I’m at work. We are almost done with their new coop and I do have an area penned out back to keep them separate from the big ducks for a while. I placed a large dog house in there filled with straw and I want them to spend the days outside now because I work full time, have 3 kids and the constant brooder upkeep is driving me bananas now.

Here is the weather forecast for today in my area:

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin...uery=87544&hourly=1&yday=118&weekday=Thursday

Is it OK to have them out in this, with the shelter available? And is it still too soon to move them out at night without a heat lamp in this situation? At least having them out days will cut down on the stink, but full-time would be even better. I'd been thinking of waiting til their regular coop is finished, which should be somewhat snugger, but the sooner the better!

Thanks!

 

[duckyfromoz]

Temperatures in your area are lower than the required heat needed at their age, But it is obvious you need to find a compromise. With there being three of them - they may cope during the day with the shelter but would still need heat at night. Usually I dont leave mine outside all night until they are at least 6 weeks old- and longer depending on the temperature at night.

Hope you soon get your kitchen back to normal.

 

[tkathleen]

Thanks for the input. This is kind of what I was thinking. They are outside now and seem very happy, not huddled or interested in the shelter, but I will plan on bringing them in at night until we get a heat lamp set up in a shelter, maybe this weekend if we are lucky. Anyone else's thoughts are welcome, too, of course.

-Tara

 

[Amiga]

I find that when the weather allows, having them outside during the day takes quite a bit of pressure off of cleaning the brooder. But we are still getting freezing temps here at night, and I don't want to risk them perishing.

The house I have is very airy - I am as concerned that they not bake in the summer as I am that they not freeze in the winter. And this first spring I am more concerned due to their young age. So I am not rushing to finish the house (although the weather is apt to change rapidly this weekend) - yet.

My schedule allows for the multiple brooder changes.

If you have a safe heat source (no fire risk), then when they are six weeks or so I could see having them in their outdoor digs then. Predators and temperatures are two of my main concerns.

 

[Senna95]

If you have a covered area in the place you separated for your new babies, concider hanging a heat lamp out there. I've done this, and it works great, because after 2 weeks of age, ducks are just too stinky to have inside!

 

[rainplace]

If you keep them in the bathtub at night, you can just rinse it out in the morning when you take them outside. We did that for a while. I'd rinse it out then use a toilet brush that I bought for that purpose and dunk the brush into bleach/water solution to scrub with. Took about 5 minutes.

 

[gallatea]

Quote:
Thats efficient. Thought I'd only do something like that. I think my sig. other would have a heart attack if he saw me doing that with deluxe whirlpool tub. LOL Honestly we never use it though.

My duck is about 4 weeks old now. Strangely she never smelled, are they supposed to smell? Her food had a kind of wet cereal/bread smell, but the duck, not really. I used wood pellets w/ some kind of bacteria growth deterrent for horse bedding. I suppose that might help. I'd be really concerned about keeping a duck on hay outdoors in cooler weather espec. if it gets wet. Mold grows in a day if hay is wet. I'd go for a different type of bedding. My chickens, however, stink to high heaven. The chicken itself! I had to check it out close up but they really do. Even w/ tons of cleaning.

Mine (duck) went out as of last night. I thought I'd never fall asleep. She's in with the 3 chicks - they are separated by coated wire as they don't get along, but they like to look at each other. They have a 8 foot cubed enclosure. I am using a ceramic heat lamp. The bulb lasts a lot longer than any type of heat lamp bulb or other bulb for that matter. And it emits no light to irritate them while they sleep. Also, I don't want to attract curious predators w/ a light. Anyway, I made an open box for her & water proofed it & put towels in it. At least I can easily grab those and replace them (towels). I thought she'd poop all over them but not even once. Her heat lamp is right above the entrance, she loves it and stays tucked in there at night - so adorable.

Our temps are 50s/60s days and 40s at night now. I'd think twice if it were under 32 though at night I mean - what if the bulb or electricity goes out. That would be awful. I don't think she'd do well since she only has downy still and no big feathers. If fire is a concern, another solution I've used in winter w/ my rabbits are huge reptile heaters (1 foot by 2 foot - you can buy them as a kind of sticker and put them under a thick piece of glass or plexi - for me it involved some construction - others come embedded in resin fake rock looking things). You have to hide the cords like mad, but it's just low watt warmth - they sit on them and get toasty, but in no way can they be overwarmed and it's by no means hot to be concerned about fire. Radiant heat.

good luck - I was going bananas too with the 4 I had -- all about 4 weeks old...I was doing food bowl change outs every 2 hours. No kidding. I felt like a duck/chicken butler. My duck is like Godzilla.

 

[Brickman House]

Quote:
Thats efficient. Thought I'd only do something like that. I think my sig. other would have a heart attack if he saw me doing that with deluxe whirlpool tub. LOL Honestly we never use it though.

Funnily enough, I actually brood our ducklings the entire time in our whirlpool tub in our hall bathroom:

I don't often suggest it, because a lot of people don't have a spare bathroom to give up for a few weeks, but if you can swing it, I highly recommend it! For all of the reasons Rainplace mentioned, especially the ease of cleaning. Twice a day, I take out the food and water to refill, and use the sprayer to spray down the tub with warm water. I leave the ducklings in it (they LOVE that, of course!), and presto, squeaky clean brooder twice a day! Does wonders to cut down the smell.

 

[Brickman House]

Quote:
Everyone does it differently, but if it were me, with 4 week old Pekins, they'd be out both day and night at those temperatures. With a cozy, well bedded house, they'll be fine without heat-- they're really a lot hardier than we think!

Here's a great recent thread on the subject of when to put ducklings out, with a lot of different views on it:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=333438

 

[gallatea]

I think the difference is if you have multiple ducks so they can cuddle and whether you have a single or just 2. Also, a big difference is if you have the birds grow up outside - they acclimate. If you go from a heat lamp inside say - 70-85 degrees, the all of the sudden take them outdoors where at night it's 30 out, not a good idea as they don't have time to acclimate. Other birds that I had were in outdoor aviaries and acclimated. But they had shelter from rain/wind and warmed (radiant heat again) perches if they chose to use those. I'd rather give a single bird a choice rather than make a sudden adjustment and expect them to adapt quickly. I've known breeders that had adult couples that died in freezing temps (around 30) even with shelter over their heads & nest boxes. They were kept outdoors 24/7 in aviaries, but were not given any type of warmth or choice in below 32 temps. So it can happen with 1-2.