First winter

[Amrobblee]

This will be my first winter with ducks and it’s supposed to get down to 8 degree weather here this weekend so any tips on keeping my babies warmer would be appreciated! I lock them in a run at night with an insulated dog house inside but they refuse to go inside the house so I'm worried they’ll get way too cold at night

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

They put off a lot of heat to keep each other warm. You might find them doing a lot of cuddling. As long as they have a place that is out of direct wind, they should be okay.

 

[Amrobblee]

What is the best way to keep their water from freezing over?

 

[416bigbore]

There is many different types of heated water dishes available to choose from.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=heated+w...887446&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_9qwf0s9fgn_e

 

[416bigbore]

I would also recommend to plug it into an outlet that has some type of GFCI in the electrical circuit just to be on the safe side.

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/gf...utlet contains a,of electricity in the outlet.

 

[Callender Girl]

Yesterday, it started snowing here in North Central Iowa and the temperature was as low as 19 degrees. While my chickens all huddled in their coops, my runner ducks didn't spend a minute in their shelter once I opened it in the morning.

They laid together in the snow and/or hunted for goodies that were buried under it. Winter here gets horribly cold; last year it was in the minus 20s more than once. My runners spend their nights in a partially open shelter that I pile straw bales around as insulation and to break the wind.

My best suggestion for water is to use a heated dog dish. They're fairly cheap and have that wired-wrapped cord that discourages attacks from duck (and geese) bills.

 

[CluckerFamily]

It depends where you are located and what your typical weather is in the winter.