keeping ducks warm in winter?

[littlepip]

ok ill try that! THANKS!

 

[BreInFlannel]

My ducks seem to love the cold weather, but it has been extremely blizzardy and windy these last couple of days here in NW Montana and they will only come out of their house to eat. Last night I came across a recipe for a warm water to give to chickens that can warm up thier bodies in extra cold weather. It had cloves, chamomile and Cheyenne...saying that chickens do not taste Cheyenne...so it warms them up without affecting thier respiratory system. Does anyone know if this is also true for ducks? I cant seem to find any info?

 

[BreInFlannel]

Actually, just found this interesting article!
https://www.straightdope.com/column...hem-to-eat-vast-amounts-and-spread-the-seeds/

I will definitely try that recipe later today! It came from a herbal homesteading book I was flipping through the other day. Here it is if anyone else wants to try also!

UPDATE....They drank up right away! I put it in a small enough bucket so they couldn't jump in, and put it right outside thier house, warm enough so it would give them a good hour (hopefully) before it started freezing...also, added some fresh Catnip and Lemon Balm for some calming action (and so they felt like spring is on its way again! they love their fresh herbs!)

 

[Alaskan]

I would put up a wind block.

A plastic sheet, or old window would be good... but if you can block the wind while letting the sun come through...that is perfect

 

[Mopsey and Flopsey]

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.

I agree with Alaskan. The straw is much harder to clean up their droppings. The shavings make it a lot easier. The straw is great for their warmth I even add shavings on top of the straw to make it a little softer.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I put straw on top of shavings. It catches the poop and can be changed more often than the shavings. I also fill gallon, milk jugs with hot tap water and put them in the coop on really cold nights. I do not get nearly as cold as you but the water should give off heat all night until it is frozen.

 

[Alliesan648]

Mine have several shelters in their run with dry bedding and they choose to sleep out in the open all winter up here in Canada. Haven’t lost one