Questions about moving ducklings outside

[localife]

I am getting ready to move my 3 weeks old duckling from the brooder in my house to their outdoor (predator proof) house/pen and I have a few questions.

1) At what stage is it okay for them to have free access to a water container they can get into, like a shallow pan that they can stand up in but is deep enough to get all wet in as well? They get supervised access to this now, but I wonder when it's safe for them to have it all the time. They LOVE it.

2) Do they still need access to food all night? (They clearly believe they do...I hear them a couple of time each night)

3) The grown up duck house has three sides (and I live in a relatively mild climate -- night temps currently around 45-50 -- but it does get breezy). Will the heat lamp likely be enough for them, or would it be best to close the fourth side until they feather out?

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[farm316]

1.) At three weeks old your ducklings should still have fuzz all over there body, so you must be careful about heat control climates,
Also, at this stage a container of water unsupervised is fine, but don't let the container be as tall as they are, allow the duckling to play but keeping it safe from drowning-

2.) Again, at this stage of age, your ducklings might want food all night long, its not bad.. But the only thing that you have to worry about is: Whenever you feed ducks or ducklings food, water must be in reach.. Failure to listen to this code of conduct, your duck may possible choke on the dried out food bound up in their throat, the water helps get the food passed the throat.

3.) Heat lamps are very welcomed, if the weather drops severely, think about closing that 4th door.. I hope you do not plan on putting the baby's with the grownups, put a cage to seperate them, and wait till they get bigger and stronger to defend themselves, new ducks are not very welcomed in other ducks home, only the strongest may pass.. (Or until the get along)

 

[localife]

Thanks for your reply! Yes, the pan is very shallow, I was just worried because they love it so much it isn't clear to me that they will actually get out before they are so soaked they'll be subject to getting really chilled even with the lamp. They lay down in there and flop around and are reluctant to get out.

They will have water 24/7 no matter what. I do that for all my animals, just in case I am delayed in getting to them in the morning I don't ever want anyone to be without water. My biggest concern with the food is just the smell of it attracting rodents and racoons. Racoons can't get in, but I don't much want them tempted into trying, either,because that's stressful for the babies, and the rodents seem to be able to get into everything, no matter how rodent proof I think I've made it....

I have no grownups, the grown up house is for this group when they are old enough to be in it. The thing I worry about with the 3 sides is wind, which can come up any time here, and from any direction. I wonder if a windbreak in front of the open portion of the house would be enough?

 

[Amiga]

If it's 45 at night, with a breeze, and they are only 3 weeks old (needing to be around 75F in the brooder), I would not do it.

Do you want to move them out because of odor in the brooder?

 

[localife]

There's 10 of them in a 4x4 foot brooder, no odor (or possibly I am just used to it

), just getting crowded and they are getting so busy. I can't cart them back and forth between the house and their pen, and it feels to me that being out in the fresh air and sun during the day would be healthiest for them. Do you think that even with a higher wattage bulb in the outdoor house they'd have trouble? I guess I could give it a trial run before putting them out there -- turn on the lamp, put in a thermometer and see how warm it stays....

 

[farm316]

I'm like you.. I am out there so much, I can barely smell how baad it is

I like the idea of the test run, that way you wouldn't be frying them or having them freeze to death.

 

[Amiga]

Test run makes sense - and do set it up so there won't be a fire hazard.

 

[Tiger2]

Test run makes sense - and do set it up so there won't be a fire hazard.

i was going to put my 2 week old ducklings out into the outdoor coop today, but it was snowing and blowing, so i decided to wait another day. I would just worry all night. Supposed to be warmer in a couple days. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Amiga]

i was going to put my 2 week old ducklings out into the outdoor coop today, but it was snowing and blowing, so i decided to wait another day. I would just worry all night. Supposed to be warmer in a couple days. Better safe than sorry.

At two weeks they need to be 80F