how do i keep my ducks alive this winter????

[FernbergFarms]

hello! i have 3 ducks and i live in northern USA and so it gets very cold up here!! my duck right now are living in an outdoor pen with a house that is not insilated..
i have a poll barn but that isnt insalated either.. but i do have a insalated chicken coop. the problem with the chicken coop is that i have 8 hens livving in there already and i dont think i could fit any more in there. The poll barn has snowmoblies and four wheelers and i would worry too much about them getting poisend by that. what should i do?? i really want to keep them this winter and have to people who could keep them for me during the winter. will they be ok in there wooden house? i feel as tho they would freeze in it. i cant keep them in the house either what should i do????
thx,
alli

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

mine are fine outside until certain temps, then i bring them indoors

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Get them a heater.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

Get them a heater.

no heater. that’s an easy way to start fires. just lots of bedding, in a coop that will stay dry. then if it gets too cold bring them indoors.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

First off, ducks have really awesome down jackets and can take quite a bit of cold. Remember that we steal their down to keep warm. I do live in the south though, so we rarely get colder than 20 degrees F but my ducks act like the cold is no big deal. I "insulate" my little house with hay or straw and then tarp over it. You could also just place bales around the outside walls or inside if there is room. I also give them loose hay or straw over their pine bedding so they can snuggle in it on cold nights. If we are going to get really cold (say the teens) I fill gallon milk jugs with hot tap water and put it in their coop with them. The water give off heat all night as it cools and freezes. When my ducks were young I bought a cheap, remote thermometer from Walmart. I kept the probe in my duck pen and the receiver in the house. It made me feel better seeing that it was above freezing in the coop even when the outside temperature was way below it.

 

[Trisseh]

I’m in NW Ontario, we get cold with lots of snow for long periods of time. My ducks are fine so long as they have deep bedding and shelter from the wind. On really cold blowy days they spend most of the day in a plastic dog house in the straw, and I have to herd them into their deluxe custom built, insulated duck house for the night. they’re a lot hardier than you might think. Lol. Obvious caveats to this would be young, old, or otherwise compromised ducks that aren’t able to regulate as well. I also make sure to shovel them pathways and put straw down to protect their feet, and don’t provide water containers big enough to swim in for most days. We save the bigger containers for those rare sunny nice days.

 

[DukesDucks]

Someone else had a similar question last week. I'm in Eastern Ontario - lots of snow and cold temperatures. Below is the response I gave to the previous post.
Hi from another duck lover in Ontario. I've had Muscovy's for just over a year now so have been through our winter with them. They have a wooden coop with an attached run, but also free range when I am home. Floor is off the ground and not insulated. I agree with LadyBirdFarms in that you don't want to make it too nice for others. Screened windows open all summer but also let in winter sun. I keep extra deep wood shavings on floor. I think one of the important things is preventing drafts. My ducks had no problems. Lots of fun watching them navigate in the snow especially their first landings when they realized snow is not as solid as it looks. Only issue was having to bring in water every night to thaw. People use duck feathers as down for coats and blankets for good reason. Ducks also have special circulation to their feet which is why we can see wild ducks swimming around frosty ponds. Good luck and welcome to byc.