Well yesterday and today we have been having a steady rain, the first of the season. We had to move the ducks and geese from their pen to the back yard yesterday because of the mud. Now I am just wondering, how much shelter should they actually have from the rain? They seem to be handling it okay now, but it will get worse.....
Mine LOVE the rain, and if they had their choice, they'd be out in it constantly. I just make sure they have access to their dry pen when they want a break.
Shelter? From the rain? For ducks? Ha ha ha. Hee hee. Sorry. Let me catch my breath. I'm not making fun of you. I just am trying to imagine my duck girls, under any circumstances, choosing to be under cover when there is a whole world of wet wonders to explore. One of the things I love about ducks is how much they love the rain. Now, I'm assuming you're talking about ADULT ducks. Ducks who are not fully feathered can absolutely be vulnerable from rain, and should be provided shelter even from a small amount, plus a heat lamp where they can dry themselves off if they do get wet. Good luck, and enjoy their dabbling.
Thank you everyone. They are fully feathered, they are about 6 months old now. They just seemed like such a miserable bunch last night in the rain and the wind. Well thanks again and happy rain!
Mine are out loving the rain. Puddles everywhere. The only problem is to keep the food dry. I import a lot of stuff from Germany and have pallets galore hanging around. The chipboard ones are really practical, because they don't let water through the surface. Here is a picture off them from the internet: I simply used a long 2x2 garden stake and screwed the shorter ends together into the stake building an A-frame. I put it out in their outdoor run and now the food is under it. I've also build another one like it and put another pallet underneath so they can have an area to sit and dry off. Not really sure if they will use it, perhaps in winter with hay in it and the back side covered with old plywood. We will see. Where in N California are you? I'm in southern Oregon only 10 minutes from CA. I'm near a town called Keno.
I guess I should amend my statements a bit. If the ducks seem miserable, then they may be. The rain won't hurt them, but if you want to give them a break, any simple rain or wind break will do. When it's cold, the wind can be bad for them, so a wind break is a really good idea too. If it's going to drop below freezing any time this winter, they're going to need a wind break anyway. Doesn't have to be complicated.
It started to lightly sprinkle last night and my ducks normally sleep in the pond at night. Well, when they noticed the rain getting a little harder, they got out of the pond and perched on some rocks. I don't want the soil to get eroded in the aviary, so i covered the top and after that, they went back into the pond.
My Cayuga pair are in heaven. They've been out in the rain, alternately dabbling in puddles and running like maniacs hither and yon.
I've been hearing about the really heavy rain up there as well as mudslides. We've been getting a little rain down here, too, which is very unusual for October. Usually we're watching out for fires this time of year.
