Scovies icing up

[Miss Lydia]

I had taken their water away and was only giving them water from little one gallon waterers (frequently filled). Honestly I have NO IDEA how he managed to get that much ice on him from the little trough around the waterer. There wasn't even that much spillage around them. It's a mystery. We haven't had much snow either. It reminded me of tundra for a few days there. Dusting of snow but otherwise a barren, windswept landscape.

I'm in Michigan, it hasn't been quite as cold as you've had it (got down to -3 a night a few nights and a high of 8 one day there - wicked windchills, though) but still cold. I tried to catch him and stick him in a dog crate to bring him in and let him thaw. All that did was show me that I need a better net for the scovies. It's OK for the turkeys but the smaller (which is relative - he's a BIG duck) bird just got tangled in there and by the time I freed him from the net I didn't have a good enough grip to hold him. Once he got away once I couldn't get near him with the net again.

I did add scads of extra straw to the coop though. I'd still like to know how he iced himself up like that...

Hard to know how he did that, but yesterday we had sleet most of the day and my poor ducks and geese had frozen feathers underneath close to their skin it was dry and warm but their poor feathers were frozen. They looked none the worse from yesterday this morning when I let them out. Except their still ice skating on the sleet. I know when mine decide to bath in the bucket they can throw water all over them selves just standing there using their heads.