Question about putting baby ducks outside and water

[renaenae]

I have 6 2.5 week old ducks that are totally stinking up my spare bedroom and outgrowing their box. My husband and I built a nice big coop for them with a fenced yard and pool that drains. We ARE putting them in the coop tomorrow but how warm does it need to be before we let them loose in the yard and pool? It's only supposed to be in the high 60's low 70's tomorrow. We haven't been keeping a heat lamp on them for the past week because we also have chicks in that room and they are plenty warm enough with the heat of the room from the chicks lamp. We def plan on putting the heat lamp in the coop for a bit -esp. at night. ANY info would be greatly appreciated--I'm stressing the move just a little bit.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Putting them outside will help them feather out faster. I would say by 3-4 weeks it won't matter what the temps are. As long as they have someplace warmer to go to when they get chilly they should be fine. I've moved some 3-week-olds outside before when daytime highs were in the low 40's and they did fine.

 

[renaenae]

so they would be ok in the yard? what about water--pool or too soon???

 

[gryeyes]

I have 3 fully feathered call ducklings that are no longer peeping out in a duck house and pen with a dishpan of water (and their feeder and a special duck waterer). They've been outside for a good 2 weeks (I didn't put them out until they were 6 weeks old).

I just added 3 Cayuga ducklings to the pen of call ducks; the Cayugas are about 3 weeks old and still pin-feathered. But they are so much larger than the call ducks! Anyway, they're getting along just fine. I wanted them outside together as the Cayugas grew, so there wouldn't be a sudden addition of huge ducks with the smaller ones. I'm hoping they just acclimate to each other as a duck flock, regardless of their size.

My widower Cayuga drake has been guarding this duck pen. He is so very interested in the babies.

Our temperatures here are in the 80s during the day and no lower than the 50s at night. I figure with 3 more, larger bodies, they'll be perfectly comfy in the duck house together at night.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I wouldn't give them full access to swimming water until they are fully feathered, around 6-8 weeks old. They can get chilled very easily and waterlogged when they are fuzzy. But they should be fine outside with a small pan for 'bathing'. Mine have a water bowl that they can dip their beaks in and get water to wash their bellies but they cannot get in it.