Moving Ducks out?

[RidgeCreekFarm]

Hello! We have 8 ducklings (Khaki Campbell and Black Swede) that are approx 4 weeks old, and they are getting rather big! This week the temps are awful; but starting next Friday our temps are supposed to be in the 60’s with lows in the 40’s. We have an insulated dog house for their coop- would those temps at 5 weeks old in an insulated area be ok, even if they don’t have all their feathers?

 

[Isaac 0]

It's best to wait until they have developed all their adult feathers before putting them in those kinds of temps or at least providing a source of heat.

 

[RidgeCreekFarm]

I should probably add that since about 2 weeks old they’ve spent some time outside every day it’s been 50 or above and they’ve seemed happy- so they wouldn’t be making a huge temp change cold turkey!

 

[Isaac 0]

That's great, acclimating them to the temps will help a ton, but I would still wait until their adult feathers come in before you let them out without a heat source.

 

[RidgeCreekFarm]

That's great, acclimating them to the temps will help a ton, but I would still wait until their adult feathers come in before you let them out without a heat source.

Thank you!

 

[TomCahalan]

Ducks can be stupid. They probably won't understand that the dog house is insulated and can keep them warm. They will probably be scared of it instead. If you could be sure that they were using the house and that they can keep dry, then yes they could handle temperatures in the 40s. The problem is that they will probably prefer to sit elsewhere and suffer from windchill.

If you have a heat source (even a weak one) they will probably go to it when necessary, and if that heat source just happens to be in the house then they will be out of the wind. It will also dry them.

 

[Isaac 0]

Ducks can be stupid. They probably won't understand that the dog house is insulated and can keep them warm. They will probably be scared of it instead. If you could be sure that they were using the house and that they can keep dry, then yes they could handle temperatures in the 40s. The problem is that they will probably prefer to sit elsewhere and suffer from windchill.

If you have a heat source (even a weak one) they will probably go to it when necessary, and if that heat source just happens to be in the house then they will be out of the wind. It will also dry them.

40F is way too cold for a two-week-old duckling to be in without a heat source.

 

[RidgeCreekFarm]

40F is way too cold for a two-week-old duckling to be in without a heat source.

Just to be clear- They are currently 4 weeks old, and I was asking about putting them in an insulated dog house at 5 weeks old. Not 2 weeks!

 

[Isaac 0]

Gotcha!

 

[RidgeCreekFarm]

Ducks can be stupid. They probably won't understand that the dog house is insulated and can keep them warm. They will probably be scared of it instead. If you could be sure that they were using the house and that they can keep dry, then yes they could handle temperatures in the 40s. The problem is that they will probably prefer to sit elsewhere and suffer from windchill.

If you have a heat source (even a weak one) they will probably go to it when necessary, and if that heat source just happens to be in the house then they will be out of the wind. It will also dry them.

Thank you for your response! Whenever we move them out, the plan is to put a door on the house and lock them in and predators out overnight!