Should be called water FOUL not Fowl. lol

[amarook]

I love my ducklings. But hoooo are they stinkers!

They are 3 weeks old. My first ever duckies.
It's been pretty nice around this area except the last couple nights it got pretty cold. Right now it's only 50 degrees.

When do you think it would be safe for me to start letting them stay outside in a pen more? Right now their outside time consists of following me around the yard for a little each day.

Do they need heat at night when they start living outside?

When can they start living outside all the time?

Thanks all!

 

[Cetawin]

well according to the breeder my ducks came from, Holderread Waterfowl Farm, temps go as follows:

7. The correct brooding temperature is 90-92o F the first 3 days and 85-90o F for days 4 to7. Thereafter, drop the brooding temperature approximately 5o F per week. Birds must always be able to get away from the heat source to avoid the damaging effects of overheating.


So, at 3 weeks old, they need temps around 75 - 80 degrees. Judge from there.

I have been putting my 1 week olds out (in a tractor) for the past 3 days with temps in the 85 - 90 range and they have done great with it. At night they are back under their heat lamo inside because temps are 40-50 degrees at night.


If they are outdoors, they need heat for a few more weeks till your temps get a little higher. If they are secure at night, then safety for them should not be the problem, merely the temperatures.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

I am moving my youngest group out to the coop now...hmm how old are these...about 3-4 weeks...so they are going out into the chicken coop building in a brooder bin with a lamp. I have the 6-7week olds out all day with a mess of chicks, then in the coop with a lamp at night. We are still occasionally getting a tiny layer of ice over the outside buckets, and they have been fine, draft free, with the heat lamp. Just make sure you lock them inside before it gets dark/cool and you have shallow swimming tubs with a brick or some sort of step to get out if the water gets low...I only let the little ones swim while I watch. We had an accident this year, I forgot to put the brick back in after washing out and refilling the tub, so now I'm a very paranoid ducky mom.