Ducks water winter

[oldhenlikesdogs]

A plastic wading pool will either crack or anything you try to use as a heater will burn through.

Two options is to get a low stock tank made for sheep and use a cage type heater, but in my opinion heaters and ducks don't go together. Ducks also dirty the water quickly so it would need dumping often which will make lots of ice.

I personally but rubber pans and fill them for baths in the winter. Since you are in Wisconsin go to the nearest Fleet Farm and pick some out, they come in many sizes. If they freeze you can bash the ice out the next day. Your ducks don't need constant bath water but would appreciate it as often as you can provide it.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I personally but rubber pans and fill them for baths in the winter. Since you are in Wisconsin go to the nearest Fleet Farm and pick some out, they come in many sizes. If they freeze you can bash the ice out the next day. Your ducks don't need constant bath water but would appreciate it as often as you can provide it.

This is my plan for the winter.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

This is my plan for the winter.

If I don't provide a bath tub my ducks will crawl into my buckets and waterers. They can't be stopped. Best that I control where the mess will be. I often see icicles hanging off my ducks in winter. Tells you how good they hold their heat in. Clean feathers are waterproof feathers which are very warm.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

My drake washed himself yesterday with water from a small dog dish that is left out in the yard. He acted just like when he gets in the pool - and I know he only had his head in it. I fill the dog dish every morning while the ducks roam around the yard. They love drinking from it too. He was too funny preening himself like he had gotten a full bath. I told him, I would fill his pool today.
They will also have two rubber tubs of water in the run. They could jump in one at a time if needed. When the pool is set up, they drink from the dirty pool water and dirty up their drinking water so fast that they both look the same as far as being fresh. I'm not worried as to how they will fair this winter. I am not going to be dumping a full pool of water in their run as it can become an ice rink. My spicket is too far from the run to be carrying that much water to fill a pool in the winter anyway.

 

[Urban Waddler]

For those who are keeping small pools, how do you empty and rinse them without creating tons of ice? I’ve been thinking about getting a long hose to extend from our sink, because we have to turn outside water off here where everything freezes solid. My two ducks are miserable without their pool, but I don’t want them in a dirty pool either. In the summer we just put one to two baby pools out for them and emptied them at night, refilled in the morning. But I can’t think of any good way to give them access to swimming in these northern winters.

 

[chickens really]

For those who are keeping small pools, how do you empty and rinse them without creating tons of ice? I’ve been thinking about getting a long hose to extend from our sink, because we have to turn outside water off here where everything freezes solid. My two ducks are miserable without their pool, but I don’t want them in a dirty pool either. In the summer we just put one to two baby pools out for them and emptied them at night, refilled in the morning. But I can’t think of any good way to give them access to swimming in these northern winters.

You can buy rubber livestock bowls that they can get into. I have them. Then just carry water for them to bath in.

 

[Urban Waddler]

You can buy rubber livestock bowls that they can get into. I have them. Then just carry water for them to bath in.

Thank you. I will look for these.

 

[PirateGirl]

I use this in winter...

https://www.murdochs.com/products/l...nks/stock-tanks/little-giant-poly-stock-tank/

I use the 15 gallon one. The plastic is thicker than my kiddie pool. The day I fill it they ultimately splash out half the water. If the surface freezes I will break it with a metal shovel and take the chunks out. If it freezes solid I will flip it upside down, the sun heats the black plastic and the ice chunk falls out by the end of the day. I don't run an extension cord to keep it thawed 24/7. The water gets pretty gross after a day or two anyway, so I still have to refill with fresh water. Sometimes I haul buckets of water, but the 15 gallon is small enough and sturdy enough that if you fill it, two people can carry it and move it while full of water. I've tried to carry it by myself and always just end up wet with very little water left in the stock tank by the time I get to the duck run.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have been thinking about using these...

https://www.murdochs.com/products/e...ll-accessories/buckets/tubtrugs-flexible-tub/

Has anyone tried them? Since they are flexible I'd think it would be easier to get ice out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have been thinking about using these...

https://www.murdochs.com/products/e...ll-accessories/buckets/tubtrugs-flexible-tub/

Has anyone tried them? Since they are flexible I'd think it would be easier to get ice out.

I haven't used them but I bet they will be brittle like most plastic is when it gets cold. We use rubber pans and bowls as they can take more abuse, and months of whacking and pounding out ice.