Shelter in winter

[springvalley123]

I'm not sure he will stay in a crate , but he is in the duck house with lots of bedding.

Thanks you guys for all your wonderful information I think he's got a pretty good spot I'll take a picture of their house where they sleep i double checked on it this morning after reading that about them having cold and tolerance kind of freaked me out LOL. Glad to hear your responses this morning as well. I did have a flat screen heater in there on their roof of their inside duck house I might put it back, or use the reptile heat for a while. Cold is 21-25 degrees at night .
In the picture daffy ( runner is now sleeping on the side there.

That looks great! I had misunderstood, thinking the runner was totally outside the people house!

 

[Ksammy]

I hear that a lot too, it's really so hard to decide some people heat and some experts say no due to moisture, ventilation etc. I like the idea about the foam in the roofing not sure how to do that though it sounds like a great idea in lieu of heat. Okay so what are your thoughts about when it gets in the teens or single digits because it could.

 

[Ksammy]

That looks great! I had misunderstood, thinking the runner was totally outside the people house!

Oh they're not in a people house they're completely outside ducks except of course for their housing outdoors , oh believe me I'd bring them in if I could lol

 

[3bird]

I hear that a lot too, it's really so hard to decide some people heat and some experts say no due to moisture, ventilation etc. I like the idea about the foam in the roofing not sure how to do that though it sounds like a great idea in lieu of heat. Okay so what are your thoughts about when it gets in the teens or single digits because it could.

Heating in the coop/duckhouse is like a lot of things: There are a whole range of options and risk factors (like pretty much everything we deal with on the farm). There are categorically bad options, but too often people use only those options (and what they have heard about them) to represent all heating options. There are many perfectly good heating options that may or may not suit your needs. Just make sure to make an informed decision and feel free to ask loads of questions. We use a Sweeter Heater (IR) heat in our duckhouse in Maine, and it was a great choice for us and our ducks. Is it necessary? No. But many of the things we elect to do for our domestic animals are not necessary and yet have added benefits (e.g., anything from egg protection to longevity).

Regarding ventilation, our duckhouse for six large breed ducks is elevated and ~4'x8' in size with maybe a 5.5 foot ceiling. We use the deep litter method. There are four windows with plexiglass sliders and shutters. Two of the windows face onto our covered, predator proof run, which is wrapped on three sides with 6mm plastic for the winter. Those two windows facing the run stay open pretty much all the time. We adjust the other windows based on the weather and from where the wind/storms are coming. The door to their duckhouse also remains open 99% of the time. If you are concerned about whether or not you have enough ventilation, consider getting a hydrometer to measure humidity in the duckhouse. Ducks expel a lot of moisture, and this is one reason venting is so important. The other is ammonia, and you can use your nose on that one!

 

[springvalley123]

Oh they're not in a people house they're completely outside ducks except of course for their housing outdoors , oh believe me I'd bring them in if I could lol

Hee Hee! I was picturing the duck with no shelter, just the outside of the house, the great outdoors! That picture cleared it all up though.