Hot hot hot 🥵

[Peas4Ducks]

Is anyone doing anything special for their ducks during this heat wave? The heat index here is getting up to 110, and I’m sure we’ll see worse heat waves this summer. At what point is the heat truly dangerous for ducks, even with plenty of water and shade?

 

[indianaducks]

Yep high of 99 today before the heat index. It's nasty. I fill up plenty of baby pools for them and make sure they have shade. In the afternoon when its the worst, I bring a bag of frozen peas out and toss them in a freshly filled kiddie pool and they dunk their heads and swim around catching peas. Keeps them cool and hydrated in the process.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I agree. Lots of water. I empty and refill my small pools (horse feeding bowls) twice a day when it is this hot. They love a cool refill in the heat of the afternoon.

I remember someone on here saying that that they froze fruits and veggies (peas, corn, lettuce, watermelon) in blocks of ice in Tupperware containers. Then, they put the ice block in the duck pool and it gave off treats as it thawed and cooled the water. I tried it once .

 

[Nerdmom81]

Same as what others have said above. I added 2 new kiddie pools today. I have some 4-5 weekers that I moved to our duck house also that I’ve been keeping an extra close eye on. I’ve refilled waters and checked in 3x a day since the heat wave started two days ago. It’s been intense!!

 

[Peas4Ducks]

Do any of you keep water in their coop overnight? I never have because it’s so messy—but if it’s going to be in the high 80s overnight, I feel like maybe I should.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Do any of you keep water in their coop overnight? I never have because it’s so messy—but if it’s going to be in the high 80s overnight, I feel like maybe I should.

I do. But mine is more of a coop with a run and the run is where I keep it. I have water in a deep dog dish on a wire shelf held up by cement blocks on their sides. I also have food in a grandpa's feeder. I do not get home before dark in the winter and I do not want to get up early when I am not working in the summer. This way, I do not need to.

 

[indianaducks]

I do. But mine is more of a coop with a run and the run is where I keep it. I have water in a deep dog dish on a wire shelf held up by cement blocks on their sides. I also have food in a grandpa's feeder. I do not get home before dark in the winter and I do not want to get up early when I am not working in the summer. This way, I do not need to.

I also keep water in their run that they stay in overnight, in this weather. It's been part of the issue with keeping my run dry/clean but figured when it doesn't get below 80 at night I'd rather them have a waterer available. I took out all the big waterers to help keep the mess down though.

 

[ruthhope]

Do any of you keep water in their coop overnight? I never have because it’s so messy—but if it’s going to be in the high 80s overnight, I feel like maybe I should.

Yes. I have 4 pekins in dogcrates in my coop and they all have individual water tubs. I also have 2 muscovy in the duck house and they have 2 additional pots of water.

My coop gets very hot during the middle of the day, even with the side tarp raised. And so, I keep the door shut with the ducks outside where they have plenty of shrubbery shade, and also the back steps from my patio to my garden doors. The steps are north facing, in the shade of the house, and the concrete there tends to stay cool: the ducks like lying on the concrete when it is hot. They have two kiddie pools -- one only partially in the shade in the early afternoon -- and a water tub to sit in. My ducks are all unrelated drakes and they will not go in the water together. only one at a time in pecking order

 

[Nerdmom81]

Do any of you keep water in their coop overnight? I never have because it’s so messy—but if it’s going to be in the high 80s overnight, I feel like maybe I should.

I don’t normally but since we are in a really bad heat wave right now I’ve changed it up to hold their waterers inside the duck house because I figure they can’t go without it in these conditions. I’m changing out bedding areas the best I can but it’s going to be necessary IMO.