ruthhope
Free Ranging
My ducks go into their coop at 7.30 to 8.00pm at this time of year. I get them up at 7.30am. This 12 hour period is the shortest they are in the coop as I let them out when it is light and get them to bed before it is dark. The coop does not have lights but some light from my kitchen window might pass through the tarp cover as it is translucent.Sorry, even if the coop is dark and they won’t be let out til sunrise in ~10 hrs?
I feed them in the coup when they go in -- they each have their own food and water as the coop has dogcrates to house the 3 pekins, and the 2 muscovy don't get along at the moment, so they too have their own food and water in different parts of the coop, to keep the peace.
I know they all eat and drink as soon as they go inside. I don't know if they eat it all or save some for the morning, but there is rarely more than dust left in their feeding bowls when I let them out. They do come out and eat their morning ration within 30-60 minutes of being let out of the coop, so I think perhaps they eat all the food at night. Crops are very useful to pig out on food and then slowly digest the food over many hours!
I hope that this reassures you that you might feed your ducklings at night in the coop -- you will have to give them access to water too if you feed them in the coop -- and they will survive the night without light and without extra rations during the night