Runner Ducks And Cold Weather

[llombardo]

Are they cold hardy or not?

I feel they are not, especially in consistent below zero temps reaching -50 at times.

 

[DiYMama540]

I feel that they are, but then again we do not get -50 temps ever. The biggest thing to help your ducks tolerate the cold better is to make sure their space is dry. They still need the water to dip their heads in and drink, but there's no need for swimming or making a big wet mess in their sleeping area.

 

[llombardo]

Well let me tell you I got a duck waterer and it should stop the water mess quite a bit but I can tell you it's even more mess tgen a bucket. I have no clue what they do but everything is soaking wet.

 

[DiYMama540]

That doesn't surprise me at all...

You can continue using a bucket with a board or something heavy covering most of the top so they can't climb in or get too carried away. @Miss Lydia has a pic of her semi mess free winter water bucket.

Are your birds free range at all, or in a coop/run? What do you use on the ground of their enclosure?

 

[llombardo]

That doesn't surprise me at all...

You can continue using a bucket with a board or something heavy covering most of the top so they can't climb in or get too carried away. @Miss Lydia has a pic of her semi mess free winter water bucket.

Are your birds free range at all, or in a coop/run? What do you use on the ground of their enclosure?

I'm working on the run. I put the wood up because I'm enclosing it, so I moved them inside for safety purposes just in case. We have had 2 snow storms. One side came down because I didn't secure it right. I think it's good now but I'm watching it. I can't put them back out there until I know it's 100% safe. I think they were fine until they came in. They are in the bathroom but I'm movibg them into large cages and putting down yoga mats under the blankets, so it's softer for them. They don't seem to make a mess in there so far. Have I mentioned I hate winter? Hopefully next year I have all the panels up and a hanging heater in their house for them. I have lots of work to do in the spring and I have to do it by myself.

 

[Ratchnick]

With a good house I would not add heat unless it got past -20f. A few straw bales are nice in the duck house so they can wedge themselves in and stay warm.

 

[Mandrogora]

My runners definitely get cold much faster than the heavier breeds. I use the flat panel radiant wall heaters at duck level, extra straw in the coop and try to keep it as dry and draft free as possible. They also have their fatter flock mates body heat to help raise the coop temp and keep them comfortable.

 

[llombardo]

My runners definitely get cold much faster than the heavier breeds. I use the flat panel radiant wall heaters at duck level, extra straw in the coop and try to keep it as dry and draft free as possible. They also have their fatter flock mates body heat to help raise the coop temp and keep them comfortable.

I didn't realize how small they are until I have been handling them more the last couple weeks. Nothing to them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

There really isn't much at all under those feathers. Mine have a choice of coming out or staying inside and they will go in an out. They actually taught my Muscovy its okay to go in when your cold. lol
@Amiga who really got me hooked on Runners way back said hers would tolerate 35 and above lower than that they were cold. I feel we have to decide on our own birds and were we are located makes a big difference as we see just by temps on this thread. It was -4 yesterday morning with wind chill I actually put a heated bucket and feed inside their coop the night before so if no one wanted to come out in the morning they had water and food. I was pleasantly surprised and how little a mess they made. I put down an unused shower curtain liner then put a under bed storage container. Put down 2 pieces of landscaping timber to sit the bucket on then placed their feed in the container. I place the heated bucket up on the landscaping logs so the bucket isn't sitting right in water if they spill it. No water was spilled and all the food was eaten so they had plenty of time to trash the place but didn't. I'll take a picture later on my setup. If anyone is interested. This house has 16ducks and 18 chickens in it over night. Only heat I have is a small sweeter heater right now.

 

[Miss Lydia]

All the heated buckets have wood over half to keep the ducks from climbing inside.