My favorite cold weather duck-tending tool

[Dux]

Thought I'd mention my favorite cold weather duck tending tool, in case it's helpful for others out there in below freezing temperatures. It's this pair of waterproof lined gloves:

They're actually an offensive bright orange, not brown as shown, but they are saaaaaving me this winter. (I used regular winter work gloves last winter, my first with ducks). These ones completely keep water off your skin, even if you submerge your hand in a full bucket or get blasted by the water pouring out the spigot. So much of staying warm in winter lies in staying dry and with the amount of water and splashing involved in duck keeping, I give thanks for these ugly things almost every day.

Does anyone else have any favorite under the radar winter duck supplies?

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

Well offensive orange is better than frost bitten blue! Those look like some nice gloves, I have ducks too and I can relate, there is always water everywhere! I live in the Midwest though so we have freezing temps and I have to go break the ice every hour...... so my saving winter tool is a heated dog bowl! ( is that cheating? )

 

[Callender Girl]

If that's cheating, count me as a cheater, too. For the poultry that don't have heated dog bowls, I find a flathead screwdriver to be an effective -- though slow-going -- ice chipping tool.

But those gloves look AWESOME!

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

Nope I’m super impatient and when I get cold I hate chipping ice.

 

[Dux]

Well offensive orange is better than frost bitten blue! Those look like some nice gloves, I have ducks too and I can relate, there is always water everywhere! I live in the Midwest though so we have freezing temps and I have to go break the ice every hour...... so my saving winter tool is a heated dog bowl! ( is that cheating? )

Oh, yeah! A heated dog bowl is key! Mine have one of those and also as back-up a heated bucket (in case they want to submerge their heads all the way or splash a little more), both plugged in at all times. They prefer the bowl by far but sometimes I worry that they're going to splash all the water out of the dish in between my visits so the deeper bucket is reassuring back-up.

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

Thought I'd mention my favorite cold weather duck tending tool, in case it's helpful for others out there in below freezing temperatures. It's this pair of waterproof lined gloves:View attachment 2535971

They're actually an offensive bright orange, not brown as shown, but they are saaaaaving me this winter. (I used regular winter work gloves last winter, my first with ducks). These ones completely keep water off your skin, even if you submerge your hand in a full bucket or get blasted by the water pouring out the spigot. So much of staying warm in winter lies in staying dry and with the amount of water and splashing involved in duck keeping, I give thanks for these ugly things almost every day.

Does anyone else have any favorite under the radar winter duck supplies?

I had nice waterproof gloves, but I misplaced them, like I’ve done with every pair of gloves (or rather one out of every pair) I’ve ever owned. My “favorite“ winter tool that I use while I curse and vow to find a better watering system is the rock bar that I use to break up the frozen layer of shavings and straw that surround my water bowls. I also have a gardening trowel that I use to scrape the frozen duck turds off the rubber poop mats. I also have a tiny hose that I can use when it’s not too cold to use the outside spigot that’s quick and easy to drain.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

I wish I had electric running out to my sheep and chickens. I'm chopping ice in the cold. I use my kids' large metal shovel as my tool to chop. Counting down the days until spring!

Those gloves look amazing! I might have to invest in some of those. I've been wearing just regular winter gloves or mittens and even the ones that claim to be waterproof, really aren't. We are planning on getting ducklings this spring so next winter I will have ducks to care for in addition to the sheep and chickens. I will definitely need to get some better gloves. Thanks for the tip!

 

[DrHawkeye07]

In previous years, I had used heated dog bowls for water, but they always got frozen to the ground from dripped water and never lasted more than 1 season.

I've been using a different type of water heater that's submersible and it's been much easier.
https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Products...keywords=bucket+heater&qid=1614013177&sr=8-15

 

[DucksOhio]

Those gloves are awesome. I have a couple of pair very similar, and they really keep your hands from freezing.

My favorite thing this winter is the hot/cold taps my DH installEd outside. He also got me a collapsible hose, so filling water bowls and cleaning the ice out of the water bowl pans is much easier than carrying buckets of water up from the slop sink in the basement. I just have to drain the hose after every use.