so I got a coop, got 4 chickens and 3 ducks. I'm building an extended covered pen.
My original plan was for all of them to sleep in the locked coop at night but I'm questioning that plan now. From what I'm reading, ducks seem to stay out in the pen in things like dog houses and stuff. I was planning on getting a dog house and a pool for them anyway. I'm looking to get something with doors so I can shut them in at night, but I'm not sure this is safe with predators and extreme weather. In the winter the temps can get to 40 below. What do I do with them then? At what temperature should I start to worry about them? The dog house will be full of straw. Should a pool with heater be available all year round? Now that I'm thinking about this, where do all the mallards go all winter in order to survive?
My original plan was for all of them to sleep in the locked coop at night but I'm questioning that plan now. From what I'm reading, ducks seem to stay out in the pen in things like dog houses and stuff. I was planning on getting a dog house and a pool for them anyway. I'm looking to get something with doors so I can shut them in at night, but I'm not sure this is safe with predators and extreme weather. In the winter the temps can get to 40 below. What do I do with them then? At what temperature should I start to worry about them? The dog house will be full of straw. Should a pool with heater be available all year round? Now that I'm thinking about this, where do all the mallards go all winter in order to survive?