Soooo, yeah. They just shot poop all over the garage floor.

[Katicorn]

4 week old ducks. Feathers coming in fast. 2 Pekins, 3 blue Swedish

SO everyone has their breaking point with the brooder from what I’ve read.

They are rejecting the heat lamp, as the garage is 70 at night, and I pulled the cardboard surround for ventilation. This morning there was projectile poop all over the garage floor. Its a nice home, and hubby wasnt pleased.LOL.

Its supposed to be in the 80s later this week, with lows in the mid-60s. Their run is set up, and they are now spending the day in there. I have to transport them via a box, as its a pretty good walk with lots of turns to get under the deck. That system is getting too heavy and I’ve yet been brave enough to try to herd them in the yard...and my border collie is waaaaay to interested in helping to get that to end well.

Is it really too soon to stick them out there? if it got cooler, or a gloomy mountain rainy damp day, I’d bring them back into the garage. Its pretty nice down there.

Im not a quitter.lol. I can tough it out, but I’d prefer them not pooping up garage. I was planning on two more weeks, but now.eeesh. End of this week would be awesome.

 

[Peas4Ducks]

Plenty of people put their ducks outside at 4-5 weeks as long as it’s warm enough outside, and 60s-80s should be plenty warm enough. And since you have five, they’ll be able to help keep each other warm if it gets a little chilly.

I moved my ducks outside full time at six weeks and I wish I’d done it sooner. When I moved them out it was still getting down into the high thirties at night and they were totally fine (I checked on them around 3 am those nights because I was nervous but each time they looked comfortable). They seem so much happier now than when I was carrying them inside and outside every day.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Ducklings can be "outside" at any age (even from hatch) as long as they have a proper shelter safe from predators and heat according to their age. After my ducklings are moved out of the incubator they are placed in a large stock tank brooder that is in a non heated barn (steel walls/root with cement floors). I keep several thermometers out there along with a digital one synced to my phone so I know the barn Temperature, the brooder temperature on the cold sides and the temperature under the heat. At 4 weeks with it being 70+ degrees outside your ducklings will be perfectly fine in a coop.

 

[Katicorn]

Thank you for your responses all help is always appreciated.

I actually was brave enough to get them out in the garden, which is fully fenced, and they were surprisingly easy to move around. And actually came when I called. Our lovely hawk showed up again while I was out there with them,and it was very easy to get them to move quickly to the run under the house,around various twists and turns. Does make me feel a lot better. But we also need to build some sort of cute shelter in the yard so they have some place to run if I had my back turned

 

[Xouie]

My pekins went out at 4 weeks with about 55F lows. No heat, but they had a kid’s play table insulated with fleece into a cozy cave.