First Winter in Cold Minnesota with ducks

[Miss Lydia]

That’s why your set up may not work if I set up all my buckets 2-5 gal and left for 2 days the water fowl would have most of the water out of them even with half the bucket covered. It would work great with other poultry but water fowl just cannot stand to see their water sources full. I like your set up for your chickens though !

 

[WindingRoad]

I agree. The humidity is what I’m most concerned with. I had what I thought was good ventilation but now I’m rethinking it.
No offense to Mother Nature lovers, however, a domestic animal is by definition, not natural. They’ve been built by us to serve us.
And wild animals die all the time from exposure and frostbite.

Yeah sorta like finding a cat skelton in a tree. Think about it. Do you think breeders of domestic ducks breed OUT cold hardiness. Just asking.

ETA: You should see the wild turkeys around here in Maine. Long skinny legs, long necks and feathers don't look very thick and they survive without any human intervention. And survive quite well. I had my chickens out at -9F one morning eating their breakfast. They stayed out about 1/2 hour.

 

[WindingRoad]

I agree. The humidity is what I’m most concerned with. I had what I thought was good ventilation but now I’m rethinking it.
No offense to Mother Nature lovers, however, a domestic animal is by definition, not natural. They’ve been built by us to serve us.
And wild animals die all the time from exposure and frostbite.

They most probably die of malnutrition, old age, or disease.

 

[thumper650]

View attachment 1630381 View attachment 1630382

Set up is hardware cloth wrapped so there is no gap anywhere greater than 1/2” (mesh size of the HC, so that was also my tolerance on doors etc). This means the coop to run door is permanently open.

2 5 gallon buckets are the waterers although in the winter I go down to 1 to only use one light bulb in a cinderblock to keep it thawed. I replace the water weekly.

The food bucket is 3 x 3” PVC elbows in a TidyCat cat litter box and I refill it every 3 weeks or so (seems to hold about 20-25 lbs of crumbled Flock raiser food).

This August I was out of town for 2 weeks, got home at midnight and flew out again at 6 AM for another week. I dumped and filled water buckets only during that stop off.

Thanks! Duckies vs. chickens do present a few challanges, but this gives me hope. I've not left mine overnight without someone tending to them, but I suppose I could, as my run is similar to yours. Thanks!

 

[Animal family]

Yeah sorta like finding a cat skelton in a tree. Think about it. Do you think breeders of domestic ducks breed OUT cold hardiness. Just asking.

ETA: You should see the wild turkeys around here in Maine. Long skinny legs, long necks and feathers don't look very thick and they survive without any human intervention. And survive quite well. I had my chickens out at -9F one morning eating their breakfast. They stayed out about 1/2 hour.

Ya okay point taken! Lol! I hunt and often in my travels I see wild animals that aren’t doing well. I guess I’m just saying that nature can be cruel and I don’t necessarily think Mother Nature knows best all the time.
I want my ducks to be comfortable and happy, not just surviving. I do worry about them probably way too much! I just don’t want to make a mistake, they are my pets.

 

[WindingRoad]

Ya okay point taken! Lol! I hunt and often in my travels I see wild animals that aren’t doing well. I guess I’m just saying that nature can be cruel and I don’t necessarily think Mother Nature knows best all the time.
I want my ducks to be comfortable and happy, not just surviving. I do worry about them probably way too much! I just don’t want to make a mistake, they are my pets.

I've heard that human emotions can effect animals. Just saying. Enjoy your animals. Whatever they are. They probably got along just fine before any human came around.
As for wild animals. That's called survival of the fittest. Do you think they would do better with human intervention. Mother nature is pretty smart ya know. I think MN does know what's going on. Maybe these "sick" animals need to be culled from the population. Do you watch animal documentaries? Hyenas, lions, tigers, hippos etc. Maybe you should stop.

 

[Animal family]

I've heard that human emotions can effect animals. Just saying. Enjoy your animals. Whatever they are. They probably got along just fine before any human came around.
As for wild animals. That's called survival of the fittest. Do you think they would do better with human intervention. Mother nature is pretty smart ya know. I think MN does know what's going on. Maybe these "sick" animals need to be culled from the population. Do you watch animal documentaries? Hyenas, lions, tigers, hippos etc. Maybe you should stop.

Well your on a roll aren’t you. I don’t need a lecture about the animal kingdom or Mother Nature. Just wanted some info and guidance about ventilation. We obviously feel differently about animals and such, let’s leave it at that.

 

[WindingRoad]

Well your on a roll aren’t you. I don’t need a lecture about the animal kingdom or Mother Nature. Just wanted some info and guidance about ventilation. We obviously feel differently about animals and such, let’s leave it at that.

Just hate to see you do harm to your birds

 

[Miss Lydia]

A lot of us baby our ducks [poultry] and see them more than live stock although I think all animals should be treated humanely. Not saying anyone here doesn't feel the same. Having adequate housing and safety for our birds is the same as our dogs its important to me so I don't leave any of my animals out over night to fend for themselves. I take my responsibility seriously as many on here do. Adequate ventilation is very important and usually with good housing they do fine. Heat lamps can pose fire risk there are alternatives to heat lamps if anyone wants to give their birds a heat source. I have a sweeter heater it gets turned on when it get into mid 20's It doesn't heat the house at all but if one wants a quick warm up they have to be very close but fire danger is null with these. Ducks are very hardy and as long as they have proper housing with bedding they can snuggle into they really do fine even in extreme temps.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ken-coop-barn-important.745178/#post-10483031

 

[emmec19]

Chiming in with reassurance that it sounds like your ducks will be fine with all that you have been doing already. This is my first winter with ducks too (Michigan), but we've cared for our rabbits thru many winters. Thankfully we've had mild temps so far, but we do often get long spells of negative temps. Our ducks have access to their dry, draft free coop all day with pine shavings and straw bedding, but they never retreat there. They hang outside no matter what the weather. We have a cozy coop panel heater for them at night when locked in their coop, but they also have space to get away from it if they choose. One of my concerns about using a heat lamp was the added light, they need the hours of darkness I believe. For water, we have a natural pond but it is too large to keep thawed all winter. So, we purchased a used pond liner that we added a drain to and then sunk in the ground. We bought a submersible stock tank heater on amazon that keeps it above freezing. They mostly hang out there all day to keep their feet warmer than they would be in the colder air. I empty and refill once a week. They seem to be doing fine. Check out the youtube channel 50 Ducks in a Hot Tub. This guy in Canada has hundreds of ducks and best I recall, he only makes his be indoors at something around 40 below. Good luck with your trip, I hope you can trust your caregivers and have a worry free time.