My first year with Peking ducks, how do I get them through the winter?

[Droptine1]

My first year with Peking ducks, how do I get them through the winter?

 

[Isadora]

Hi
Where, approximate location, are you in the world? That will help us a lot with suggestions since climate matters when it comes to winter keeping.
I live in Indiana, and winters are a lot milder here than in some places. I found our pekins to be pretty cold hearty. They would go outside, swim, and walk around in the snow, whereas my chickens did not like walking in snow at all. If the ducks got too cold, they would lay in the snow and tuck their feet up under their feathers to warm them back up or go back in their coop.

 

[Droptine1]

Hi
Where, approximate location, are you in the world? That will help us a lot with suggestions since climate matters when it comes to winter keeping.
I live in Indiana, and winters are a lot milder here than in some places. I found our pekins to be pretty cold hearty. They would go outside, swim, and walk around in the snow, whereas my chickens did not like walking in snow at all. If the ducks got too cold, they would lay in the snow and tuck their feet up under their feathers to warm them back up or go back in their coop.

Hi
Where, approximate location, are you in the world? That will help us a lot with suggestions since climate matters when it comes to winter keeping.
I live in Indiana, and winters are a lot milder here than in some places. I found our pekins to be pretty cold hearty. They would go outside, swim, and walk around in the snow, whereas my chickens did not like walking in snow at all. If the ducks got too cold, they would lay in the snow and tuck their feet up under their feathers to warm them back up or go back in their coop.

I’m located in Medina county in northeast Ohio

 

[Droptine1]

Hello, thanks for replying! I’m located in Medina county in northeast Ohio. This will be my second winter with chickens but my first with the ducks!

 

[Droptine1]

I’m located in Medina county in northeast Ohio

Hi
Where, approximate location, are you in the world? That will help us a lot with suggestions since climate matters when it comes to winter keeping.
I live in Indiana, and winters are a lot milder here than in some places. I found our pekins to be pretty cold hearty. They would go outside, swim, and walk around in the snow, whereas my chickens did not like walking in snow at all. If the ducks got too cold, they would lay in the snow and tuck their feet up under their feathers to warm them back up or go back in their coop.

Hello, I am located in Medina county, Ohio. This will be my second winter with chickens but my first with ducks. Thank you for replying!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

I place tarps around the bottom half of the run and I keep straw bales up so they will have shelter from the wind. I use straw in the duck house plus dig out paths in the run and lay down straw.
I'm in northern IN and we can get quite a bit of snow from the lake effect weather.
I don't let them have swim water in the winter and block off access to their water with planks of wood so they can only dip their heads in. Up until a few months ago, I only had muscovy and they are considered a warm weather duck. But, they have done fine over the winter.
I now have runners. I'm thinking they will be more tricky to keep out of the water dishes in the winter. So, we shall see. I know some provide swim water, I just prefer not to deal with more ice and to slip and fall in the run. So, I limit it.

 

[Droptine1]

I place tarps around the bottom half of the run and I keep straw bales up so they will have shelter from the wind. I use straw in the duck house plus dig out paths in the run and lay down straw.
I'm in northern IN and we can get quite a bit of snow from the lake effect weather.
I don't let them have swim water in the winter and block off access to their water with planks of wood so they can only dip their heads in. Up until a few months ago, I only had muscovy and they are considered a warm weather duck. But, they have done fine over the winter.
I now have runners. I'm thinking they will be more tricky to keep out of the water dishes in the winter. So, we shall see. I know some provide swim water, I just prefer not to deal with more ice and to slip and fall in the run. So, I limit it.

I place tarps around the bottom half of the run and I keep straw bales up so they will have shelter from the wind. I use straw in the duck house plus dig out paths in the run and lay down straw.
I'm in northern IN and we can get quite a bit of snow from the lake effect weather.
I don't let them have swim water in the winter and block off access to their water with planks of wood so they can only dip their heads in. Up until a few months ago, I only had muscovy and they are considered a warm weather duck. But, they have done fine over the winter.
I now have runners. I'm thinking they will be more tricky to keep out of the water dishes in the winter. So, we shall see. I know some provide swim water, I just prefer not to deal with more ice and to slip and fall in the run. So, I limit it.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[Isadora]

Hello, I am located in Medina county, Ohio. This will be my second winter with chickens but my first with ducks. Thank you for replying!

What kind of coop do you have for them?
My ducks coops has hardware cloth on the front and back and tin for the roof and sides, so it's very well ventilated. When it gets very cold, we stack straw bales along the back so that the ducks have a windbreak. We also don't put any food or water in the coop, so it stays cleaner and drier.
I have cement mixing trays that we got from Lowe's that doubles as a bath/waterer. I do have another bucket for them just to drink out of, but they do love to swim and it helps them stay clean even when it's cold.

 

[Droptine1]

This is what I have now. I need to add more ventilation to the duck coop. Just not sure how much I should do. I originally got this coop from someone and it only had three sides the front was open. I didn’t have a lot of time to mess with it so I just put up some extra siding I had so I could lock them up at night. This whole duck thing was spur of the moment and a work in progress.

 

[thumper650]

You might need more ventilation. Ducks give off lots of moisture, and it can cause condensation inside their house without lots of ventilation. I build my duck houses with a vent along the top almost all the way around, and cover them securely with hardware cloth.

I also have chicken heaters for extreme cold nights, like below 30 degrees. It’s not necessary but I know one of my runners sleeps near it!