How cold is too cold for my duck?

[cbohn80]

i'm pretty sure the first week of feb was open a few years ago, and i've never seen a harlequin duck, mostly wood, mallard, black, gadwall, pintail and teal. maybe some divers and shovelheads from time to time

 

[AKCub]

My Muscovys seem more robust than my Mallard based birds. We have seen as cold as ten below zero at night and have already had more than week of zero-ish (-19c) high temps.

They are in a uninsulated coop with a deep straw/sawdust floor (6 birds) and I haven't been putting water in the coop at night (because it freezes so fast). They have a heated water bowl about 15 feet from the coop they have access to all the time.

They aren't big fans of snow much deeper than 4-5". Their wings are clipped so they do a crazy hop and plop in the snow to get back and forth from the food and water and the coop. I've been trying to keep a pathway packed down to keep their antics to a minimum.

I have noticed when the temps were below zero, they seemed just like people when it's cold, lumbering around all puffed up. Not doing much more than moving from the coop to the water.

It's warmed up to freezing now and they are back to being busy little ducks.

I do add straw to the area where their water is and that seems to make them a little happier.

Back to the first part though, the Muscovys don't seem to be affected by the cold much. I had to cover their water dish up so they couldn't bathe in it because with the cold we've had the water froze all over their feathers in little drops. When they stand up and shake off the ice drops jingle like xmas ornaments. The Campbell seems to be the most affected by the cold. Maybe he is just more dramatic though. The Rouen pair seem unfazed and active (and loud) no matter what.

Scott

 

[Yetti]

I haven't been in Miami since `72, but I can't imagine it ever getting cold enough for a water fowl to be put out by it. the lack of snow cover and ice in the waters has to be a huge plus. I to would recommend getting a friend for your bird. it will prolong their life as well as make them buddy.

 

[Zesty108]

I have thought about getting him a friend but i have been taking care of him since he was just a week old, he was getting pciked on by his fellow ducks because he has a bad leg. he is 6 months old now, and has not even seen another duck since then, and i fear that getting another duck it may hurt him again, also, the house he has really is not big enough for 2 ducks. Oh and hes a Cayuga duck.I know hes happy, he has is own pool and i go out side every day and give him frozen peas and let him walk around the yard and play in the dirt and bushes. It seems from what every one is saying that ill just cover his house up wtih sheets and pieces of wood to block the wind and maybe even put a blanket with lots of hay inside his house so he can cuddle into it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
That is all you'll need just keep the wind chill off of him. Sorry he can't have a friend but sounds like you spend alot of time with him which is great.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

First of all I would get your duck a friend, with you working long hours your duck is probably very lonely and depressed during the day when he is alone. Secondly, the temps you mentions aren't cold at all. Your duck is probably suffering more from being alone then from any kind of cold wind.

 

[Aria]

Get another Duck. Ducks can take COLD. We had Call Ducks...they are tiny and delicate and they loved swimming in our Pond Winters sometime 0 and below.

Always have shelter. They will stay out as long as they can. We always had to drive our Call Ducks in their barn. Aria

 

[cbohn80]

if you introduce a juvenile duck to him he will be on the top of the pecking order and wont get picked on, i would try that.

 

[everthngsaducky]

I live in Minnesota. It gets very cold...sometimes 30 degrees BELOW zero and very windy.

When I adopted Beaker (Khaki Campbell x Cayuga), she was with about fifty other ducks. They lived underneath a carport. They had each other to keep warm. When I brought her home, she only had Bunsen (Cayuga). Fortunately, they had an insulated chicken coop that was always kept above a freezing temperate by the use of heat lamps.

Although a warmer chicken coop was an option, they mostly wanted to stay outside in the cold.

Until a few weeks ago, I had Sebastian (Sebastopol goose) and Gizmo (Beaker and Bunsen's now full grown baby) living inside my house. I kept them in a 10 ft x 10 ft pen. This was only because the new goose/duck house and coop was not finished yet. It wasn't the most ideal situation, but it was okay. The smell wasn't bad because I cleaned up after them daily.

I can't imagine having only one duck. My ducks would be so lonely. I'm sure your baby would LOVE to have a companion since they are social animals. I've even read in several books that they NEED companions.

I would think all ducks could survive Florida temperatures just fine...as long as they have a little sheltered area and a friend.

Please post a picture of him!

 

[everthngsaducky]

On questions about
"how cold is too cold" for a duck ...that's what I like to hear, someone from Minnesota chiming in !! This is context that anyone, almost anywhere, can take to heart . Suffice it to say, unless your duck 's feathers are wet and not drying out, if you live in Florida, you DON'T have to worry, at all, about what is too cold for a duck. However, like any plant or animal, you have to consider where it was raised, and the generations that came before them...it's probably not a good idea if you live in the Dakotas to be sourcing your flock from California, come wintertime, they are not well adapted. Not to get off topic but as a gardener and avid online researcher, I DO tire of hearing folks from Florida or Texas wonder aloud about how to get their roses through the winter...people, that is not even a challenge.