How to get my ducks to survive the winter!

[ducklover87]

From Croghan/Carthage Area. Yes it looks small i just quick took the pictures! Hopefully mine dont freeze, we had a disabled duck one night he just had his head bent down and was barely active. And well we didnt let him suffer but i bawled my eyes out. We even had plans to keep him alive. So im hoping to keep these alive for the winter.

Oh your about 2hrs away from me then. Its always sad to lose one. I've lost 4 in total and it was heart wrenching every time. I'm sure they will do fine just make sure to keep as much snow out of their house as possible. Along with helping them be as warm as possible.

 

[OldGuy43]

Same advice I always give. Read this thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/421122/think-its-too-cold-for-your-chickens-think-again

 

[new2ducks]

I live in Colorado and we can get some really cold nights! There were lots of times I was bundling up and going outside to check on my ducks and I couldn't believe that they were actually standing outside and sleeping! From what I've read on here...the biggest thing is to give them a dry place to keep their feet warm. What I did last year was get a bale of straw, wrap half of it in a trash bag to keep it dry and put the other half in their igloo doghouse and around their food dish. In the mornings I went out and raked the straw by their food around to make sure it wasn't wet, if it was I raked it to the side and refreshed the straw. I also raised the protein level on their food, the people at the feed store said it was good to do in the winter for warmth. I also gave them corn and peas for a treat everyday. It doesn't hurt to put some kale in with them if you think the weather is going to be stormy for a while...gives them something to munch on. But really, for most of the winter they slept outside and the girls only went into the house to lay their eggs. I even had a rabbit have her litter in the doghouse with the duck eggs!

 

[lizamarie0686]

Thank you all. I plan to put hay around the outside around the house. I plan to put enough hay on the inside to keep them warm. I will also probably put some tarps over it to keep the heat in