The Duck Thread

[luvmyduckies]

she does doesn't she

 

[JanetMarie]

First year with ducks over the winter. Going through more pine shavings now, but will have plenty of carbon material for the gardens, which was lacking.

 

[Amiga]

First year with ducks over the winter. Going through more pine shavings now, but will have plenty of carbon material for the gardens, which was lacking.

The used duck bedding has been a great blessing for my projects (c:

 

[Spyderk117]

At what temperature should I put a heat lamp in the coop?

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Our heat lamp currently goes on at 20F off at 30F (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000M4ZJ6Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) The ducks mostly avoid it and won't make use of it until it gets below 0F.

It is currently 1F Tevye is under the lamp (he is the flock wimp and I don't know why, he is so fluffy) Rhiannon and Noir are at the edge, and the other 11 are avoiding the lamp as much as possible.

 

[Spyderk117]

Our heat lamp currently goes on at 20F off at 30F (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000M4ZJ6Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) The ducks mostly avoid it and won't make use of it until it gets below 0F. It is currently 1F Tevye is under the lamp (he is the flock wimp and I don't know why, he is so fluffy) Rhiannon and Noir are at the edge, and the other 11 are avoiding the lamp as much as possible.

Okay thank you! I might buy that.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Make sure you are very fire and electricity consious when you introduce a heat lamp. Put everything outside their reach and away from where mice or other pests could mess with it. I've heard horror stories about coops burning. If we didnt get below 0F, i wouldn't have one (we are supposed to hit -20F this week). If you can't avoid mice completely, you can run pvc pretty cheap to protect the wires. Just being the voice of caution.

 

[NathanZee]

We are supposed to have a low of -25 Saturday night, other than heat lamps what can help them keep warm?

 

[Mudbillkisses]

We have 1 ancona and 1 muscovy- both females. We don't use heat lamps in the upstate NY winter. We use the deep litter method with straw in the nesting boxes. The coop consists of a rectangular box enclosed with 1/4 inch hardware cloth on all 4 sides with hemlock wood boards all the way around (with a door that can be a window and a second window that can close for ventilation). When it's below 20 F outside- all windows are closed- there's still some gaps so it's not air tight but I sometimes wonder if I should leave a window cracked for air flow but then worry about too cold of drafts. Any thoughts? It's under our sunroom which projects off the back of the house and provides additional overhead coverage from the elements. I refresh the bedding daily so it's dry. We have a heater for their small bathing basin outside the coop area. They usually do fine except for when it gets to be single digits and bad wind chill they look miserable (but I'm not sure that they're as bothered as I tend to think they are). In those cases we bring them inside for a cold shower so they can acclimate to the warmer indoor temp and get some reprieve from the cold.

The main reason I don't use heat in the coop is artificial lighting throwing off their natural laying cycles. My ancona has had egg binding tendencies and I don't want to tax her system by introducing supplemental lighting. She has stopped laying and I am glad- she is an avid layer- 1 per day every day until the days became shorter. Her body needs a break...plus it'll help her conserve energy she needs to stay warm.

Can another experienced duck owner weigh in on what outdoor temperature and weather conditions, with the housing situation I've mentioned above, a duck would need reprieve from the cold?

@Miss Lydia what are signs of near frost bit caruncles on muscovy?

 

[Mudbillkisses]

We are supposed to have a low of -25 Saturday night, other than heat lamps what can help them keep warm?

What is their shelter situation?