my ducks are out in the POURING rain, will they be ok?

[FenDruadin]

How old are your ducks? If they are fully feathered then they are absolutely 100% totally fine in the rain. They LOVE the rain and because they're waterproof, it won't chill them. HOWEVER, if yous are still babies with fluff (even partially), they CAN get chilled. When I have young, not-yet-fully-feathered birds outdoors, I provide them with shelter and also with a heat lamp so they can get dried out. They will seek shelter when they get cold--they're pretty self sufficient--but if it's chilly they may not be able to get dry quickly enough to prevent chilling.

Again, if they are fully feathered (even if they're not fully grown) then they do not need special treatment and will be just fine.

As for lightening, the chances of being struck by lightening are... well, so tiny that we use "struck by lightening" as a metaphor for a highly unlikely event. Ducks are short and squat, and electricity prefers a short travel to the ground and will generally seek the tallest conductive thing around to strike. So unless they are out in the center of a large pond or on a completely barren plain with nothing on it taller than them, then they're almost certainly just fine.

 

[ducklover1243]

sorry I just got worried cause it was coming down in torrents..... but they couldnt really get soaked cause they're full grown

again thanks everyone

 

[tamiep]

My ducks are in their glory when it rains. Even my goofy chickens don't seem to mind the rain. They have plenty of shelter, but I think it's a good time to catch worms, and these girls don't want to miss a snack. They look like wet rats sometimes.

 

[Jbently28]

We were under a tornado warning yesterday evening and my ducks were out playing in the rain the whole time. They were absolutely loving it. I did manage to get all of my ducklings put up before the storms hit thank god.

 

[Ducks in the hood]

I have six ducks. With the first four I worried about rain. We have had a lousy, wet summer in the Pacific Northwest. My quip now is, "the only ones happy with this weather are my ducks." They have loved this summer.....because it has poured down rain more than not. With my second group, I have let them do as they please, they just love that rain. Even let them out much earlier than did the prior group. (I tended to put them in the duck house when it rained, silly me.) Once they show signs of having water proof feathers, the water is their favorite activity - next to mud. We learn as we go along....ducks are happy, so let them be.

Lightening would cause a bit of concern though.

We just introduced the two new ducklings to the flock in the last week. Last night 5 ducks were outside in the pen, and one new duck disappeared inside the house. Scared the heck out of me. Was convinced the "old" ducks must have attacked her (even though the pushing and shoving stage seems to have passed). Took a hasty trip to the duck house. Only to find the 6th duck sitting just inside the duck house door watching the rest of the group, happy as a clam. (Husband told me he hopes I quit worrying about them so much soon, because they are just farm animals... Apparently, he's not as attached to the ducks as much as our dachshunds!)

Im freaking out because this is my ducks first rain and wind storm. They refuse to go in their house so Im worried about them, I love all 6 of my ducks

 

[sourland]

It's 'water off a duck's back'.