keeping ducks warm in winter?

[littlepip]

its been cold here in good ol' MN lately. sometimes the temp drops down to -10 degrees. we have a nice indoor area for our ducks, but there's no form of heating inside it. I've noticed that the ducks are sitting down more often to keep their toes warm, and they are also shivering. I don't have enough heat lamps to put one inside the duck's pen. any non-electricity methods of keeping them warm?

thanks so much for any help!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your ducks will be fine. Shivering and sitting down is how they warm themselves. It isn't necessarily a problem. Your job I'd to provide deeper bedding, and don't let the ice build up too much from them messing in the water. My muscovy continue to bathe daily, and will do so into the -20's. They even get icicles. They are fine and healthy.

Mine like some whole corn as a treat in winter. It a good source of carbs to help keep them warm.

 

[littlepip]

whew thanks! i was worried I would wake up to a dead duck one of these days!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

whew thanks! i was worried I would wake up to a dead duck one of these days!

I am always surprised how hardy ducks are. Many wild ducks will spend the winter on the open rivers here in Wisconsin where people feed them.

 

[PirateGirl]

Make sure they have a nice wind block.
I like to fluff the bedding about every other day, it will hold more air and insulate better than it does when they pack it all down.
They should do just fine.

 

[Alaskan]

its been cold here in good ol' MN lately. sometimes the temp drops down to -10 degrees. we have a nice indoor area for our ducks, but there's no form of heating inside it. I've noticed that the ducks are sitting down more often to keep their toes warm, and they are also shivering. I don't have enough heat lamps to put one inside the duck's pen. any non-electricity methods of keeping them warm?

thanks so much for any help!

What kind of ducks? And how old are they?

If they often look cold I would put up a wind block for them so they can sit outside in comfort.

I am a huge fan of using wood shavings as bedding. They can burrow into it and sleep very comfortably.

Hay spred out over the ice and snow can also help to keep their feet warm.

I do not like having bathing water out when it gets too cold.

 

[sourland]

Provide a dry, wind protected area/coop, provide plenty of feed, and they will do fine. They have their own insulated vests, and will pull their feet up into their feathers to protect them.

 

[Savager]

I don't heat my pekins, the past two days have been the coldest of the year(down to 2 degrees) and they slept in their house, but most every other night they sleep on the ground, it doesn't seem to bother them. Just a good amount of hay kept them warm in their house and a layer on the ground keeps them warm other nights.

 

[littlepip]

To answer your reply @Alaskan, I have 2 Pekin ducks and 2 kahaki Campbells. As for wood chips, my ducks tend to smoosh them Down rather than dig down in them. Wood chips are also really hard to clean up. When filled with Poop, they can get hard to shovel out, and I don't want to spend hours in the cold trying to scoop it all. Will straw still keep them warm? That's all I have at the moment.

 

[Alaskan]

How old are the ducks?

And whatever you have will work.

I use wood shavings from a sawmill, so they are pretty fluffy. If you stir them every day they stay pretty clean. Ii find that hay or straw make a poo rug and so is harder to shovel out and work with.

But everyone has a different setup and different stuff to work with.

What is important is that they have clean bedding that they can hunker down in.