First cold night!

[michellers]

I'm so nervous because it's going to be the coldest night my two ducks have ever spent outside. It's currently 38° inside their coop. I added a bunch of dry bedding too.

It's going to a be a long night. I'm so tempted to setup the big brooder I had for when they were ducklings with the heat lamp. Low of 24° tonight.

 

[Amiga]

It is a tough balance. You don't want to risk a fire with the heat lamp, but just two ducks in an unheated house . . . .

The first night my runners were outdoors in their duck house I rested by the living room window and was up many times during the night. In fact, late that night a bit thunderstorm kicked up, and I went into the duck house with them for a while.

Sure made me feel better.

 

[michellers]

Well... I was too nervous. Inside they went! 55° in the sunroom overnight (it has its own furnace separate from the rest of the house) seemed like a much nicer idea to me. Baby steps...baby steps.

 

[goose4]

I would leave them outside. They need to get used to the cold. It is hard on them when they go from warm house to cold outside. Don't forget they have little down jackets. Our ducks don't seem to mind the cold at all. You should see how thick their feathers get once it gets cold. I would wait on the heatlamp until it gets much colder. As long as they can get out of the wind and stay dry and have some loose straw to snuggle into they will be fine.

 

[goose4]

They are pretty ducks. What kind are they?

 

[michellers]

Blue Swedish.

 

[duckncover]

Awe. It's so sweet of you to care so much about your babies. I love to see people that really care about their ducks.

 

[michellers]

Eventually they will be outside at night when it's this cold, but I was just concerned about the sudden drop in temperature. Back in the 40s and 50s during the day and a little warmer at night. The coop was at 28 degrees this morning when I woke up.

The girls weren't too upset about their sudden change in sleeping location - both left me an egg this morning!

 

[Going Quackers]

How old are they? i agree you cannot keep flip flopping them, they build resistant if allowed too, it would be like be dressing you in your warmest stuff and tossing you in & out of heated buildings you;ll want to remove layers.

Key things, is not drafty buildings, well vented and good bedding and finally ensuring there well fed. If these birds are already laying there should be no question where they are, outside, only young non feathered birds do you have to be mindful with.

It's not i am heartless i do get it, but if they aren't allowed to gradually build up to the temps there will be problems, my daughter has some silkie chicks in their coop and they are young, pushing into the 8wk mark, no heat nothing special, they were kept in the house for 2wks while feathering out(she only got them at 4/5wks off heat lamp from the breeder)

I have ducks as young as 4mths here, Scovies and some calls.. they all live outdoors, i'll even top that and say i had a nest this past March from a determined scovie! yep, March!

 

[Apyl]

If your ducks are old enough to lay eggs they are old enough to be outside on negative temps. Your not doing them a favor by bringing them inside, it is only doing you a favor. It gets to -40F here and I do not use a heat lamp in the winter. None of my ducks or chickens have had issues.