We ordered 10 ducklings from Metzer Farms and received them on September 23, that puts them at about 6.5 weeks old. They are beautiful babies and feathering out wonderfully. The problem is that, well, they stink. I'm a little tired of them being in my garage, cleaning their little pen out has to be done every day or you can smell them in the house. (they go out to the outdoor pen during the day, but at night the temperture goes down to approx. 35 so I've been bringing them in..) I would like for them to be able to stay outside at night, but I don't want to put them in danger of freezing. Our pen is totally predator proof and they would be out there with our one adult duck left from our original group (purchased about 3 years ago, darn owls.). Would they be warm enough because there's a lot of them? What can I do to make them warm enough at night? Or am I just going to have to suck it up and live with it? Thanks!
hi! I put mine outside at 6 weeks, I am now at 7 weeks old. Our nights are also getting down in the 30's. I have 3 ducks and 6 chickens---I find that they are cuddle together and are doing just fine. I don't provide them with any heat lamps. They do tend to go into the roosting area that is well enclosed to get out of the wind. I believe they should be fine--by now they are getting all their feathers in and the cold shouldn't bother them When I let them out, they will still swim in the cold water, so they can't be that cold.