New Here! Looking for some advice

SaraAshley95

In the Brooder
Dec 3, 2017
9
29
38
Hello! New here & new to the idea of owning ducks!

We were actually considering getting our ducks in the next few weeks, but now I'm worried that isn't the best idea.

We live in CT and its starting to get cold here, I know that we would have to keep our ducks inside for a while, but at what age can they handle the cold?

We are still in the beginning process, still trying to figure out the best place in our yard. We have a small gazebo that we don't use. We were thinking about turning that into their coop, but worried that maybe it will be too big? We would fence in the area which would include a garden for them, lots of worms!

I'm going to ask this flat out, are ducks really THAT messy? My plan would be to keep their pool near, but not inside their area all the time. They would be able to use it daily, just not 24/7. Is this Ok?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, the good, bad & the ugly. Please share it all!
 
Hello:frow
Welcome to BYC!!
So glad to have you here!!
Thanks for sharing your story!!
There are many people on here that are ready to help in anyway they can!
The learning center also has alot of great information on it as well!
Enjoy!:wee
 
No such thing as a coop being too big! You'll find out pretty quick that ducks are addicting, and you'll end wanting to add another breed, or wanting to try out hatching eggs, or your duck goes broody and hatches ducklings and you just can't bear the idea of selling them, etc. So, bigger is always better. Plus, it gives the ducks more space. If you can turn the gazebo into a nice predator proof coop for them, go for it!

They are messy, but not too bad if you manage it properly. For example, no water in the coop - they'd make a huge mess with it and get it all over. They don't need it in their coop overnight. As long as they always have access to water during the day in their run, no need for any in the coop.

As for the pool, they'd be happier if they had access to it all the time, and if you keep in in their run it won't be too bad. But, if you really can't let them have it all the time, as long as they always have access to water deep enough to submerge their heads up to their eyes in, they will be okay.

As for getting them this time of the year, that could be tricky. Ducks are pretty cold hardy when they are adults, but babies still need heat, and they grow quickly and are very messy in the brooder. Once they get old enough, they will be fine in the cold, but until then they would need a source of heat, and you would need to drop the temperature five degrees each week until it matches the temperature outdoors, at which point they could be safely put in the coop with no heat.
 
Thank You! So much great information. I was worried that this wouldn't be the best time of year to get them. No way I'll be able to match the outdoor temps inside, especially in January. Instead of Christmas ducklings, we can get Easter ones! That will give us plenty of time to get their coop ready.

As for the pool, we can certainly keep the pool in their run area, we will just make sure to keep all water out of the coop. Thank you for that advice.

If we keep their coop water free at night, that means no food at night either, correct?

Also, I'm guessing like chickens, they need to be locked in their coop at night, is this correct?

What do you suggest as bedding in the coop?

Thanks for all your help!
 
Easter ducklings are a great idea! Plenty of time to get everything you need together, decided what breed or breeds you want, and find a place to get them from :)

Yes, no food in the coop at night either, they don't need it. As long as they have free choice access to food during the day, there's no need for them to have any at night.

Yep, they do need to be locked in at night, to keep them safe from predators. Lots of nighttime creatures would love a duck dinner.

I used pine shavings - cheap, easy to get, and easy to clean up.

You're welcome! Glad I could help :)
 
FYI, baby ducklings should never be left with open water. they lack the oily feathers that will keep them afloat and can actually drown! I learned the hard way when I came home to find my ducklings standing in a tub of water on their tip toes. Luckily, they did not drown, but they would have if I had not found them. Personally, I'd wait till spring. The only thing (IMO) worse than brooding chicks in the house would be doing so in the winter. And the only thing worse than that would be brooding ducks in the house. Far worse than that would be doing so in the winter. Just my 2 cents worth!!
 
First off, a lot will depend on how many ducks ya are thinking about getting. During the winter is not the ideal time to brood them, because they grow at a very rapid rate and by the time they get feathered out....about 6 wks old....they are about half grown and depending on breed, it may be a little longer. Until they are fully feathered ya wouldn't want to put them out in below 30°. They certainly aren't the cleanest little things and can mess up an area rather quickly. If it were me, I'd work on them an area thru the winter and have things set up so they can be secured and protected at night from predators and then get them to brood in March or April. The next problem comes in, when there isn't any experience to rely on in order to know how to set things up....I know this from my own experience....and we got 12 day old ducks at one time, well it was a fiasco to say the least, but we survived it. I was sooo glad we had waited until the first of June '15, because they went outside when they were about 4wks old....the low temps were in the 50s and the highs were in the 70s. We were cleaning their brooder 2-3 times a day and it was getting to be a real chore. Is your gazebo sitting on the ground, or is it raised off the ground about 3' ?
The reason I ask is ya might want to consider something like our set-up here..... IMAG2805.jpg IMAG2804.jpg IMAG2690.jpg ...the first 2 pics are of their bedding area, in the 2nd one ya can see their water tub and feed tray....they bed in that area and we lock them up every night. Their area is 6'x8' which is half of the nuderneath of the chicken coop. The last pic shows their yard and it has an opening that leads out to a much larger fenced in area they share with the goats. It is in the big area that we keep their pool in and when we are going to be gone for more than an hour we will leave them in their yard. Ducks can see in the dark and they like to be able to see if anything is coming around them....they will alert to anything strange being close by....the sides and gates of their area is covered in 1/2" hardware cloth and they have plenty of room to manuever around in their bedding area. They are waterfowl and in being such they are not as affected by cold temps as ya might think....they can handle it pretty well. We use hay as their bedding and use the deep litter method....this keeps warmth in the bedding and helps to handle the extra cold temps. When the temps get in the 20s here, I just throw a bit of extra hay in for them around the border and I have narrow pcs of plywood on the sides that act as a windblock, but they are able to see over readily. I know this is a long post in answer to your question, but I was once in your shoes and just trying to relate some of my experiences as I learned as I went. I sure hope it all works out for ya and if I can be of any help just ask....:)
 

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