How do ducks fair in the winter???

[Sandrachx]

we have 3 ducks. this winter, we have them in a dog run/kennel with a huge airline shipping dog crate as a coop. my husband used some old carpeting to insulate the walls and ceiling of the crate and we put fresh bedding inside every few days. we also have a corner of the run covered with pine branches (simulating "under a tree") and have placed curb-side christmas trees around the outside corners of the pen as a wind barrier. the ducks seem to like being under the tree, but with this bitter cold (5 degrees), i am concerned about their feet. since we are looking at single digit weather for the next couple of days, we put a heat lamp up last night and had it shine into the dog crate. they went in (with encouraging by us - picking them up and putting them in) but stayed inside only a couple of minutes.

i have not let them out in two days because of the cold. nor have i filled their swimming pool since i do not have a heater for it (water bucket has heater). any other ideas to help them through this cold snap?

 

[Muse7]

We're in the teens here, 16 last I looked, but fortunately, the wind isn't as wicked as it was yesterday. All have been in and out of their house today, but I notice their huddling a bit more today, even though it is sort of warmer.
Well let's just say, not as cold. They seem to be a bit puffier to today. I guess the prolonged time exposed to cold is showing a bit. I'm watching our Runner, though, she just doesn't have the fat stores as our Harlequins and Harlequin/Cayuga mixes. It looks like we will come out of the teens tomorrow or Friday. Just in time for some snow. I hope everyone is holding up well in their assorted freezing temps.

Best,

Liz

 

[Muse7]

We're in the teens here, 16 last I looked, but fortunately, the wind isn't as wicked as it was yesterday. All have been in and out of their house today, but I notice their huddling a bit more today, even though it is sort of warmer.
Well let's just say, not as cold. They seem to be a bit puffier to today. I guess the prolonged time exposed to cold is showing a bit. I'm watching our Runner, though, she just doesn't have the fat stores as our Harlequins and Harlequin/Cayuga mixes. It looks like we will come out of the teens tomorrow or Friday. Just in time for some snow. I hope everyone is holding up well in their assorted freezing temps.

Best,

Liz

 

[Haunted55]

we have 3 ducks. this winter, we have them in a dog run/kennel with a huge airline shipping dog crate as a coop. my husband used some old carpeting to insulate the walls and ceiling of the crate and we put fresh bedding inside every few days. we also have a corner of the run covered with pine branches (simulating "under a tree") and have placed curb-side christmas trees around the outside corners of the pen as a wind barrier. the ducks seem to like being under the tree, but with this bitter cold (5 degrees), i am concerned about their feet. since we are looking at single digit weather for the next couple of days, we put a heat lamp up last night and had it shine into the dog crate. they went in (with encouraging by us - picking them up and putting them in) but stayed inside only a couple of minutes.

i have not let them out in two days because of the cold. nor have i filled their swimming pool since i do not have a heater for it (water bucket has heater). any other ideas to help them through this cold snap?

Some corn or scratch feed is something I use on these bitter nights. Please though, with all the concerns about the aflatoxins in the corn this year be careful, of what brand you give and how much.

What I did for my turkeys this morning was mix up some oatmeal, eggs and a touch of molasses with hot water. Oh yeah, instant hit! My pigs also got the same treatment.

 

[Haunted55]

My Khakis don't seem to mind the cold. I give them extra bedding, food and lettuce to help them through each day. Was -3 when I let them out this morning and they made a beeline for the pond. I just took the photos below of them on the pond in 6 degree weather with a slight breeze blowing. They don't seem to get out of the pond only to go over to their feeder and I have straw on the ground for them to walk on. The pond is spring-fed and though I haven't taken the water temp in a while it does stay around 45 degrees +/- year round which probably feels warm to them right now.

Blessings to all in your efforts to care for your beloved ducks during this cold snap.

You are so very lucky with your pond! The ducks can stay fairly warm on water that hasn't frozen with the temps we've had.

 

[Iain Utah]

I have 9 ducks (2 are muscovies). They are doing pretty well in our extreme temperatures (average overnight -10F). They sleep in a coop with wood floor off ground and shavings for bedding. They do not stray far from coop in the day, but do like to go outside. They do not like to be on the snow, so will run from coop to their daytime hang out area which is nice and dry. My Muscovy girls do not hang with my other ducks and they have a spot in our shop garage where they spend almost all their time, even though the garage door is propped so they can come and go as they please. Here's a pic of my group taken a few days ago and a close up of my favorite Cayuga girl.

 

[Amiga]

Thanks for the photo's and the details of how you and the flock handle serious cold.

The runners and buffs have had two outings today, and they were short, by popular request.

Just the like cats, they want to go out, but it's cold, so a human needs to just stand and the door and open it on demand. All day. Uh huh.

 

[Haunted55]

I have 9 ducks (2 are muscovies). They are doing pretty well in our extreme temperatures (average overnight -10F). They sleep in a coop with wood floor off ground and shavings for bedding. They do not stray far from coop in the day, but do like to go outside. They do not like to be on the snow, so will run from coop to their daytime hang out area which is nice and dry. My Muscovy girls do not hang with my other ducks and they have a spot in our shop garage where they spend almost all their time, even though the garage door is propped so they can come and go as they please. Here's a pic of my group taken a few days ago and a close up of my favorite Cayuga girl.

Thanks for the photo's and the details of how you and the flock handle serious cold.

The runners and buffs have had two outings today, and they were short, by popular request.

Just the like cats, they want to go out, but it's cold, so a human needs to just stand and the door and open it on demand. All day. Uh huh.

Yeah doorman is part of the job description isn't it?

 

[Carcajou]

You are so very lucky with your pond! The ducks can stay fairly warm on water that hasn't frozen with the temps we've had.

Thank you , Haunted55. I feel really blessed to have a spring-fed pond. My heart goes out to all who have to deal with frozen kiddie pools and the like. My prayers are with you all that your love for your ducks will prevail, that this cold snap will soon pass, and the duck life will get easier for both humans and our ducks.

 

[Haunted55]

This has been a very interesting year, I must say. I wasn't able to finish the watering stations [barrels set up with plumbing, filled from outside building through a sillcock and plumbed together with pipe and a spigot, inside building, for filling waters]in each of the poutry houses and because of that I have had to run hoses out from my kitchen sink each morning. Yesterday morning as I'm hanging a quilt up over the door, so the house won't freeze, I was about at my wits end. This just couldn't go on any more. Leave the house to do chores and the temp is 72 inside and come back in and the inside temp has dropped to 46. Ummm......yeah. I love my animals very much but there comes a time when you have to call it quits or get really, really inventive. I got inventive, lol. I had the big plastic barrels already so I moved them out into the duck/goose house and even though the ones already set up in the chicken house had a leak, filled them with the hose and put a 5 gal bucket under the drip. Duh Deb, could have done this before! Yes it took me an hour and a half longer to do chores but this morning should be sweet! One bucket of hot water to the meat turkeys, one bucket of hot water to the pigs and one bucket to the pea fowl and heritage turkeys. chickens and duck/geese have their water inside their houses already. Today i'll do the same in the pea/turkey house, with a heater in the barrel. Their house doesn't have a heat lamp so the barrel will need the heater. Should also go a long way in moderating the temps in that building. This morning at 5:30, the building temp was 18 degrees, outside it was -8 with a screaming wind. We'll see how it works.

Oh and don't mind me, just rambling here.