Ice on ducks! What do I do?!?

[Klatimer]

I’m cleaning out my ducks coop for put clean bedding, and I have 2 watering stations with buckets. I noticed that they all have ice on them. It’s 21° in Ohio but feels like 4°!!! I’m not sure what to do.. their feet look fine… I’m just overly concerned for me! It’s my first winter! What other things can I do? I have everything blocked off from the wind . I want them to be safe and Ohio winters are ROUGH!

 

[sourland]

Provided with a dry, draft free coop/shelter their down jackets will keep them warm regardless of the weather.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I’m cleaning out my ducks coop for put clean bedding, and I have 2 watering stations with buckets. I noticed that they all have ice on them. It’s 21° in Ohio but feels like 4°!!! I’m not sure what to do.. their feet look fine… I’m just overly concerned for me! It’s my first winter! What other things can I do? I have everything blocked off from the wind . I want them to be safe and Ohio winters are ROUGH!

They'll be fine, ducks are quite hardy to the cold. Just make sure they have access to draft free, dry spaces.
Their layers of feathers trap air and keep them really snug.
The fact there's bits of ice/snow on animals when outside, is usually a good sign that their feathers, or in some cases fur, are insulating their body heat correctly. If it were melting on them, that would be a sign that they're not holding their body heat correctly, and that their heat is escaping, which could cause them to quickly become damp and chilled. Imagine it as if you were wearing a coat in the snow. Same thing for them.

But ducks are extra lucky that they have water proofing oils on their feathers! So its harder for them to get wet and cold anyways.