Moving fully feathered outside

[DrakesoftheRevolution]

Hi all!

New to the forum and to ducks.

We decided to keep a few ducklings from a fall hatching school project and found ourselves in the very unfortunate situation of having to keep our ducklings inside over the winter. I can go into detail about how this happened but I’d rather just move on!Now they are fully feathered but not acclimated to the current temps in PA.

In order to keep shock at a minimum we have been letting them outdoors anytime the temp is 15-20 degrees below indoor temp (so 45-50F or warmer).

Do I just gradually expand this temp range and keep them inside at night? It’s in the 20s at night so how will I know when they are ready to handle that? They are the kids pets so need to avoid turning them into duck popsicles!

 

[Callender Girl]

Duck popsicles would, indeed, be bad!

It may be overly cautious (because I worry about EVERYTHING most of the time), but if they were mine, I would keep them inside for a while longer even though they are fully feathered. I would be afraid of the temperature swing on babies.

Now, you should probably take my advice with a grain of salt. I got a fall chick who wasn't fully feathered when winter hit. She spent her first whole winter indoors. It's been two years now, and she still lives indoors. Oh sure, she does daily field trips outdoors when the weather is warm, but she is apparently never planning on being anything but a house chicken.

 

[indianaducks]

How long does it take ducklings to become fully feathered?

 

[DrakesoftheRevolution]

How long does it take ducklings to become fully feathered?

In my extremely limited experience there is a range in how long it takes. Ours took about 3.5 months to get fully feathered.

 

[DukesDucks]

What are your long term plans for these ducks? Do you have a secure coop where they will be able to spend the night once weather is warm?

 

[DrakesoftheRevolution]

What are your long term plans for these ducks? Do you have a secure coop where they will be able to spend the night once weather is warm?

Yes they have a secure enclosure with duck house waiting for them