late baby duck ,so cold outside

[jellobutt]

I put a few duck eggs under a roosty hen just to see what would happen. About 2 weeks after the two chicks hatched I found a duck out there. My hens tried to kill it and almost did. I brought the baby ( now named chomp) in to the house and began nursing her back to health. Chomp is still yellow but full of feathers and it is very cold outside, -2 to -10 F at night. My other ducks are not very happy with the temps. It is not getting above 10 F during the day. Our geese seem to be picking on the ducks and hogging the water. How cold is too cold for ducks. This is their first winter. They are pekins. My female also developed green spots on her beak yesterday. Is she ok? How old does chomp need to be to go outside. I think she is great but would like her to go outside, but I dont want to loose her to freezing temps. I have heaters in their water but I am having a hard time keeping them thawed. I dont want to move the ducks inside but I will if they need it. I have had ducks befor but never in weather this cold. Any help would be welcome.

 

[jdywntr]

I put a few duck eggs under a roosty hen just to see what would happen. About 2 weeks after the two chicks hatched I found a duck out there. My hens tried to kill it and almost did. I brought the baby ( now named chomp) in to the house and began nursing her back to health. Chomp is still yellow but full of feathers and it is very cold outside, -2 to -10 F at night. My other ducks are not very happy with the temps. It is not getting above 10 F during the day. Our geese seem to be picking on the ducks and hogging the water. How cold is too cold for ducks. This is their first winter. They are pekins. My female also developed green spots on her beak yesterday. Is she ok? How old does chomp need to be to go outside. I think she is great but would like her to go outside, but I dont want to loose her to freezing temps. I have heaters in their water but I am having a hard time keeping them thawed. I dont want to move the ducks inside but I will if they need it. I have had ducks befor but never in weather this cold. Any help would be welcome.

Until the duckling is fully feathered, about 8 weeks, it will not survive outside. Especially without a mother.

Do they have a shelter? As long as they have a draft free shelter that protects them from the weather, they should be fine. The adults.

The green spots are most likely normal as long as they are just spots on the beak itself and not any type of injury.

 

[jellobutt]

yes they have a draft free shelter with shavings and straw in it but i find them shivering most mornings. They get locked in at night because of the coyotes are pretty bad out here at times. The baby is about half the size of the adults.

The spots don't seem to be any type of injury, and its only on my female.

 

[duckins]

I would not put duckling outside for 8-10 weeks it will not survive. As for the others u may need to provide some heat lamps for them.

 

[jellobutt]

Thank you for the advice

We did a week of outside all day inside at night until the deep freeze was over. She has been outside with the other ducks for a few days and nights but my males liked her way too much and they tore all her feathers off the back of her neck. So she got to come back inside for a few more days. She is now out with the chickens and doing great. She is fearful of the male ducks but seems to be ok with the other female we have.

 

[jdywntr]

It sounds like you have several males and only 1 female. If this is the case, this behavior is going to continue. A good ratio is 1 drake to 6 ducks, an acceptable one is 1:3.

 

[jellobutt]

I only get one egg a day so far we have spot (male) and little duck (male) sparkey (female) is chomps mother, spot is the dad. I am trying to get chomp and little duck to breed as spot and sparkey are paired up pretty good. Spot will not let little duck near sparkey ever.