How duck & geese feet are designed not to freeze

[PINOAK RIDGE]

Winter is quickly approaching us here in the USA and I have read several posts where people are concerned about ducks being cold. I thought I would share this article so people can understand the how & why duck and geese feet were meant to survive, even in freezing temperatures. Hopefully, this will reduce some stress and worry the humans have for their feathered pets.

http://askanaturalist.com/why-don’t-ducks’-feet-freeze/


Hope this helps. Ducks are actually quite hardy.

 

[PINOAK RIDGE]

I'm in Canada...North central Alberta... their feet can and do freeze.
Do not believe everything you read on line.

Cheers!

Try -35 Celsius as a day time high!! I am Canadian! Ducks need straw to warm up in!

No one said they would never freeze, just that they are designed to withstand freezing temps, within reason, and how they are designed to do so. If they weren't bred to be hardy & survive the elements the species would have died off long ago from failure to adapt. But then, they have natural instincts to help them. Many waterfowl migrate southward in fall, following warmer weather and food supply. They would not choose to stay in an unsuitable environment by choice. They often choose to stay on large bodies of Open water, and groups of ducks have been known to swim together to try to keep the water from freezing on "still" water. "Moving" water will stay open longer than "still" water.

No one said not to use common sense. Yes, if you live in a climate where the temps are -35* Celsius as a day-time high, you will need to make provisions for your ducks, as that is not a reasonable environment for ducks. They will need their humans to provide water, quality food and shelter--at least a wind break, shed, barn or etc, not to mention protection from predators. Straw is a great insulator, good choice for bedding.

Absolutely do not believe everything you read online. By all means always consider the source. Be able to discern the difference between scientific facts, first hand experiences and someone's opinion. This is an educational article I shared to give folks an insight on the how & why waterfowl are designed for survival.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Several years ago a member took in a friends call duck that slept in the water bowl over night and his feet froze in the water when the water froze. This duck got severe frost bite and lost most of it's feet. I wish I could remember what the thread was called but it does happen in extreme cases so even though what the link said is probably true under certain circumstances, we still have to do all we can to make sure our birds don't have something like that happen.

 

[PearlTheDuck]

Winter is quickly approaching us here in the USA and I have read several posts where people are concerned about ducks being cold.  I thought I would share this article so people can understand the how & why duck and geese feet were meant to survive, even in freezing temperatures.   Hopefully, this will reduce some stress and worry the humans have for their feathered pets. 

http://askanaturalist.com/why-don%e2%80%99t-ducks%e2%80%99-feet-freeze/  


Hope this helps.   Ducks are actually quite hardy. 

Not winter here in Texas, it was 90° yesterday

Got a cold front last night so it's 55° at the moment

 

[drumstick diva]

Very interesting. Too bad human feet can't benefit from that.

 

[purslanegarden]

For their being a wild animal, I can understand that they might be outside in the cold, but for their being a water fowl, I'm impressed they can be in water during the cold seasons, when water is usually much colder than the air temperature, or at least, upon getting out of water, they could then be even colder than the air temperature.

Thanks for the link!

 

[chickens really]

I'm in Canada...North central Alberta... their feet can and do freeze.
Do not believe everything you read on line.

Cheers!

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Not winter here in Texas, it was 90° yesterday

Got a cold front last night so it's 55° at the moment

55!!!! brrrrrrrrr

...you should live here in NJ LOL
It goes to the 40's at night about now

 

[chickens really]

Try -35 Celsius as a day time high!! I am Canadian! Ducks need straw to warm up in!

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Its not winter here yet...it really gets cold, but not that cold!