Preparing for winter with Pekin ducks (and geese) in cold climes

[Fx2032]

I have 4 pekin ducks and 2 Norwegian geese at present and am trying to think ahead to winter (here in Norway).
My neighbour has told me that they previously had problems with Musckovy ducks getting frost bite in the feet after being let out in winter. I asked another friend who has moved to a farm with Musckovies but she say they took no special precautions.

Searching the net, there seems to be just one post (that has been repeatedly copied and pasted into everyone's blog!) saying that below 20F it is dangerous for the ducks to be standing about on the ground / snow, and generally swimmable water should be limited to only days where there is plenty of warm sunshine for drying off. Some sort of protection from wind is recommended.
(As far as I have read the geese don't actually need any precautions?! - but they will have to do as the ducks!)

I currently have a movable hut I built for them all, and it has 2" or polystyrene insulation in all the walls, with "hardware cloth" vents below the roof at each end, so I think it should be OK for the evenings (it can get down to -20C at night on a couple of occasions here mid winter) but people in the area actually have chickens in uninstalled small huts. (They are bedded in hay. )They currently have free range and go swimming in a small stream with pond when they like, they are shut in at night and their house, I enclose in a 50m electric netting enclosure.

I have no idea how active they will want to be when it starts to get very cold, and when there is snow, so i am planning to play it a bit by ear. The shelter is rather small for them to be closed up in all day, so at worst I am thinking about just keeping them in the netted area, and perhaps putting down some hay in an area so they have somewhere outside that is insulated from the ground.

If its not too cold day time are they OK to still free range? Sun permitting I might take them for a swim (I envisage when the snow comes late this year I will have to cut paths for us all anyway), or if rather cold just give them bathing water in their enclosure.
I would really welcome anyone's advice and experience, so i can hopefully preempt any problems!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I always provide water for my muscovy and geese. I use buckets and rubber pans. I've seen them take a bath in freezing weather. I haven't seen any frostbite in mine. We can get down to the -20's plus Fahrenheit. Birds always have a thick beds ing of hay to stand on. My muscovy don't go outside unless there's hay to stand on. My geese don't care and go out every day.

So provide a good bedding to get them off the ground. Provide roosts for the muscovy as some prefer to roost. Block drafts, and prevailing winds. A patch of sunshine is always welcome on cold morning as well as some warm water.

Muscovy and geese don't need to actually bathe all winter. They will dip their heads and clean themselves up a bit. If we get a warm spell I might fill up a bigger tub for the ducks, but the geese I do not. They mostly just get buckets of water.

I had one drake got slight frostbite on his carnacles one winter. I've never seen frostbite on their feet. I have seen frost and icicles on my ducks. They do okay.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I live In Canada and we got -48 C last year
I didn’t get crust bite but I don’t put water in the coop to avoid humidity
I also clean my coop daily to avoid moisture build up
I shovel an area for them and on decent days -20C or warmer they come out
We built an extended outdoor fully enclosed from weather for feed abc water
Clear panels like a green house to help warm up i keep lots of bedding in there
I only supply water buckets not swimming unless things go above zero
At that time I just do smaller ones they can bath in

 

[Fx2032]

I always provide water for my muscovy and geese. I use buckets and rubber pans. I've seen them take a bath in freezing weather. I haven't seen any frostbite in mine. We can get down to the -20's plus Fahrenheit. Birds always have a thick beds ing of hay to stand on. My muscovy don't go outside unless there's hay to stand on. My geese don't care and go out every day.

So provide a good bedding to get them off the ground. Provide roosts for the muscovy as some prefer to roost. Block drafts, and prevailing winds. A patch of sunshine is always welcome on cold morning as well as some warm water.

Muscovy and geese don't need to actually bathe all winter. They will dip their heads and clean themselves up a bit. If we get a warm spell I might fill up a bigger tub for the ducks, but the geese I do not. They mostly just get buckets of water.

I had one drake got slight frostbite on his carnacles one winter. I've never seen frostbite on their feet. I have seen frost and icicles on my ducks. They do okay.

Thanks oldhen that's really useful stuff!

 

[Fx2032]

I live In Canada and we got -48 C last year
I didn’t get crust bite but I don’t put water in the coop to avoid humidity
I also clean my coop daily to avoid moisture build up
I shovel an area for them and on decent days -20C or warmer they come out
We built an extended outdoor fully enclosed from weather for feed abc water
Clear panels like a green house to help warm up i keep lots of bedding in there
I only supply water buckets not swimming unless things go above zero
At that time I just do smaller ones they can bath in

Thanks New Duck Mommy that really helpful!

 

[Miss Lydia]

The main thing is you don't want them sleeping in water if the water freezes around them then frostbite can happen. A member on here years ago took in a duck that had slept in his water dish overnight he lost most of his feet then she stopped posting, I am not sure if she lost him but it was really bad. I live in the mountains of North Carolina and mainly our temps are teens on up, 2 of my Muscovy drake and duck ended up with frostbite on the flesh on their faces, Both recovered with my drake that nob that protrudes you can tell it had something happened but it isn't doesn't bother him. The skin is just discolored.

 

[FNF]

Such good information here. I live in western VA and it got down to 20 degrees F last night. My three runner ducks have a house with windows covered in hardware cloth but that also close and latch over that, a wood floor that is a little raised off the ground, and I put a stall mat over most of it, and then lots of pine shavings over all of that. I had been giving them just a little bit of water (warm, last night) as they get peas and mealworms when they go in their little house and I thought they'd need some water afterward, but I may just let them drink from a bowl of water before closing them in now, rather than leaving even just a little bit of water in there. This morning they all came pouring out of the house but two seemed like they favored a foot or leg - lifting it, then back down, then squatting down for a second, before getting back up. I wondered if this was just a way to warm up their feet. Otherwise eating, drinking, curious, engaged, grooming etc and their feet look normal. I think they have since stopped doing that, after a few minutes, but will keep observing. I haven't filled their pool yet as I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit. They have access to their house, a run with a wind-break, a larger grass yard, and I put a large rubber bowl in the corner of the run with some shavings and towels in it in case they wanted to nap in that rather than the ground or house. Currently they're more interested in rooting around in it. I think it's going to warm up slightly the next week but worried about the next cold snap as winter is just getting started. Any other advice or observations of ducks in cold weather?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Such good information here. I live in western VA and it got down to 20 degrees F last night. My three runner ducks have a house with windows covered in hardware cloth but that also close and latch over that, a wood floor that is a little raised off the ground, and I put a stall mat over most of it, and then lots of pine shavings over all of that. I had been giving them just a little bit of water (warm, last night) as they get peas and mealworms when they go in their little house and I thought they'd need some water afterward, but I may just let them drink from a bowl of water before closing them in now, rather than leaving even just a little bit of water in there. This morning they all came pouring out of the house but two seemed like they favored a foot or leg - lifting it, then back down, then squatting down for a second, before getting back up. I wondered if this was just a way to warm up their feet. Otherwise eating, drinking, curious, engaged, grooming etc and their feet look normal. I think they have since stopped doing that, after a few minutes, but will keep observing. I haven't filled their pool yet as I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit. They have access to their house, a run with a wind-break, a larger grass yard, and I put a large rubber bowl in the corner of the run with some shavings and towels in it in case they wanted to nap in that rather than the ground or house. Currently they're more interested in rooting around in it. I think it's going to warm up slightly the next week but worried about the next cold snap as winter is just getting started. Any other advice or observations of ducks in cold weather?

What a nice place you have for them. We were 22 this morning and when I let mine out they run up the hill and then lay down on their feet and legs. I think this is typical since I have seen it year after year.

 

[FNF]

What a nice place you have for them. We were 22 this morning and when I let mine out they run up the hill and then lay down on their feet and legs. I think this is typical since I have seen it year after year.

Oh that's very comforting!! Thank you!