ducks away from heat lamp

[Chef Penny]

I live in central Okla. I have week old ducks and geese. When can I put them outside in their duck house? It is late Feb now. Can I do it in March?

 

[Finny]

What I have learned is if the temperature outside is above 70 degrees F (during the day and night) then you can put them outside permenantly if they don't have their feathers in yet. If it is colder than that you should wait until they get all of their feathers to put them outside permanently. If it is around 50 or 60 you can take them for short visits outside if they do not have their feathers in yet.

 

[Amiga]

Finny is right that you need to avoid letting littles get chilled.

The general guideline I used was 90˚F the first week, dropping 5 degrees a week till they were fully feathered and the outside temps were the same as the calculated temps.

So for me, 70 degrees would be okay for a month old duckling.

And - there are many variables, and many ways people raise ducklings. I tend to be more cautious about some things.

Watching their behavior is important - if they are shivering, huddling together, scrunched up - they are too cold and can get sick.