Ducks in Cold

[Abraeri]

Hello everyone,

So we live in Georgia... and this week has been (and will be) especially cold. It snowed around 2 inches and temperatures are in the 20's. I know ducks are very cold hardy but I am worried for them. I let them out this morning and noticed them just sitting on the ground and figured their feet were cold and put them back in their coop with water and food.

I'm worried about frostbite as well. Some of my ducks had previously had black spots on their feet (even from like summer, so I know it's not a frostbite thing) (one of them's feet is almost covered with black spots) so I wanted to know how I can tell if they do get frostbite or if that is something I should be worried about at all. I can post a picture if needed.

What are recommendations for insulating the coop? I read that poor ventilation (our coop doesn't have the best ventilation per say) and too much insulation can cause humidity levels to go up and cause frostbite. My dad told me to cover the ventilation we had with some flattened the cardboard boxes to keep in the heat - will this do more harm than good?

I have 9 ducks that are an year old and most of them molted. Maybe 3 or 4 haven't molted this year.

Any tips are welcome (Sorry for the long post)

Thanks,
Erin

Edit: They are outside right now, I let them out once the temperature was a little higher and most of the snow had melted.

 

[Welshies]

They will limp if they get frostbite, although it is tough to tell because ducks actually have partially numb feet! Here is a great link on frostbite on feet.
Don't cover the ventilation. Ventilation prevents frostbite, and if you cover it, your coop could potentially become too humid. Here is a link on why ventilation is important.
Have you already built your coop? If so, temporary insulation can be achieved by stacking hay bales around the coop. If not, I suggest double-walled insulation- although I advise against insulating if your climate does not regularly get below -4F (-20C).

 

[Abraeri]

They will limp if they get frostbite, although it is tough to tell because ducks actually have partially numb feet! Here is a great link on frostbite on feet.
Don't cover the ventilation. Ventilation prevents frostbite, and if you cover it, your coop could potentially become too humid. Here is a link on why ventilation is important.
Have you already built your coop? If so, temporary insulation can be achieved by stacking hay bales around the coop. If not, I suggest double-walled insulation- although I advise against insulating if your climate does not regularly get below -4F (-20C).

Thank you so much The coop is already built, it's basically two large crates joined together with hardware cloth on top (opens on one side to take eggs out). The roof is a sheet of polycarbonate roof panels that's closed on both sides and curved in the middle... kind of hard to explain. I've attached a picture but it's kind of hard to see. Georgia's not supposed to get snow at all but the weather has been so out of whack lately...

 

[Abraeri]

Also what is a good humidity for in the coop? I currently have a sensor in their to see what the temp and humidity is like.

 

[Welshies]

Also what is a good humidity for in the coop? I currently have a sensor in their to see what the temp and humidity is like.

There really is no magic number but to observe your birds. Try to match the outside humidity.