Grubbdub
In the Brooder
Hello All,
I am new to the forum, but have been a casual lurker for a bit, so Thank You all for the great info. I am not an intentional poultry owner, but perhaps by accident, and that I'm a sucker
I live in a residential neighborhood in Ohio. My house backs up to a very large retention pond. We have always had water fowl around, mostly Mallards, and the occasional Canadian geese that stop by, but about 4 months ago 6 Pekins showed up (most likely dumped). 2 were found hit side off the road, and it stirred up an uproar on our neighboorhood facebook page. Meanwhile the remaining 4 (1 male, 3 females) have adjusted well, and stay clear of the main road. The neighborhood community likes to visit them, and they seem very happy here. We have reached a new level of trust, they let me pet them now. They totally have my heart.
As I understand these guys can't fly, so I had concerns about their survival during the winter. So, my boyfriend, with the help of our neighbors made a small winter shelter 5' x 3' x 3' that we call the Quack Shack for them. It's got 2 nice sized openings for them on opposite sides, filled with straw. We tucked it beneath some large pine trees, to help with coverage. But we also have an HOA that does not allow us to keep livestock. We aren't necessarily raising them, just providing them a means to stay out of the elements for survival when winter hits. So it needed to be somewhat disguised, so it looks like a dog house.
We have been training them to go into the quack shack morning and night with cracked corn. They seem to be adjusted to it fine. They don't stay in it currently. But it's not real cold yet either. So, my question for you all... Do you think this will be sufficient for them? Any other advice? We love these ducks so much, we just want to make sure they will be alright through the winter.
I am new to the forum, but have been a casual lurker for a bit, so Thank You all for the great info. I am not an intentional poultry owner, but perhaps by accident, and that I'm a sucker
I live in a residential neighborhood in Ohio. My house backs up to a very large retention pond. We have always had water fowl around, mostly Mallards, and the occasional Canadian geese that stop by, but about 4 months ago 6 Pekins showed up (most likely dumped). 2 were found hit side off the road, and it stirred up an uproar on our neighboorhood facebook page. Meanwhile the remaining 4 (1 male, 3 females) have adjusted well, and stay clear of the main road. The neighborhood community likes to visit them, and they seem very happy here. We have reached a new level of trust, they let me pet them now. They totally have my heart.
As I understand these guys can't fly, so I had concerns about their survival during the winter. So, my boyfriend, with the help of our neighbors made a small winter shelter 5' x 3' x 3' that we call the Quack Shack for them. It's got 2 nice sized openings for them on opposite sides, filled with straw. We tucked it beneath some large pine trees, to help with coverage. But we also have an HOA that does not allow us to keep livestock. We aren't necessarily raising them, just providing them a means to stay out of the elements for survival when winter hits. So it needed to be somewhat disguised, so it looks like a dog house.
We have been training them to go into the quack shack morning and night with cracked corn. They seem to be adjusted to it fine. They don't stay in it currently. But it's not real cold yet either. So, my question for you all... Do you think this will be sufficient for them? Any other advice? We love these ducks so much, we just want to make sure they will be alright through the winter.
We're so happy you've decided to join us.
Thanks for rescuing the babies.
One really damp or windy days, they would stay in their house more than in the their pen, but were perfectly content.
