What’s the coldest temperature ducks and chickens can stand?

[PearlTheDuck]

Our coop is not finished and freezing weather is on its way, our ducks and chickens currently go in a pen covered in tarps. In a few days the temperature high is 25F and a low of 10F with a wind chill of around 5F and possibly some snow/ice, it will be like that for about 4 days. Will they be ok in the pen with that kind of weather? They have sand in there for bedding but I can add hay and even get some blankets to put underneath the tarps

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's not that cold. If they have a roof and wind break they will be fine. We sometimes get down to -25 with -40 plus wind chills throughout the winter and my birds look cold but are fine. Ducks will still take a bath too.

 

[PearlTheDuck]

That's not that cold. If they have a roof and wind break they will be fine. We sometimes get down to -25 with -40 plus wind chills throughout the winter and my birds look cold but are fine. Ducks will still take a bath too.

Ok thanks! They don’t have a real roof, it’s chicken wire with tarp over it, though I will be getting moving blankets to put underneath the tarp

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

As long as it keeps them out of the elements that's the main thing.

 

[chickens really]

Blankets are no good..Straw holds in their body heat. Wind breaks for sure and unfrozen water during the day.
Best wishes..

 

[Mistyclouds]

That doesn't sound that cold for ducks. We keep ours in during the day when it gets super cold -15f. Just make sure everything is clean, and add extra bedding to keep in the warmth.

 

[Duckworth]

We are expecting-16F with windchill in the -30F range for the next few days. We had a warm fall and our lowest temps so far were a brief dip to -6F last week, with temps mostly in the teens and twenties Fahrenheit during the day and single digits to teens at night.

My ducks are eight months old and there are four of them. Their house is insulated, but has no heating. I can add an extra tarp over it to ensure that the air inside has no movement. There are currently a couple of small gaps in the tarp that allow some air movement, but not wind. The roof is solid and insulated. The tarp is just there to offer protection of the windows from wind and to help contain some heat. The run has a tarp roof, a solid east wall, a protected south wall, and tarps covering the north and most of the west wall.

My worry is that my ducks aren't sufficiently acclimated to extreme cold to fare well in the upcoming temperatures. I can move them into our unheated basement in a small pen or support them in their house and run. They won't like being moved or being put in a new environment. Are they likely to be alright in their outdoor digs?

 

[chickens really]

Gradual temp drops animals can withstand..Its extreme drops in temp that can cause issues. All animals feel cold.
I run heat for all my Birds. I provide dry fluffy straw.
You do what you feel is necessary for your Birds..

 

[Yummy mummy]

I’m in ontario and we are in a polar vortex, have been for a week (minus 30 and minus 40 wind chill). I have 4 ducks and a couple of geese- 6 months old - they have shelter 8x 6 by 3 feet tall - not insulated - nor heated. I had been using woodships and layering the bedding - switched to hay for the weather this week - seems to be keeping them warmer. They get out to drink ( heated bucket) and eat. The pen is about 50x 50. But they aren’t walking more then 2 feet from the shelter... I’m a little worried - but so far so good. Thanks for the info.

 

[3bird]

We have seven similarly aged silver appleyard ducks, and we also had a very warm fall. Then winter hit--we have not been above the single digits F during the day, and the nights are as low as -10 for over a week. We also have about 10 inches of snow on the ground, and we've had some very blowy days (40 mph+).

I'm pleased to report our ducks have acclimated well. They miss their foraging time around the property, but their run is covered with a thick layer of straw that gets fluffed daily. 2.5 sides of the run are banked with straw bales providing a windbreak, and they have an area under their elevated duckhouse, which is very protected for daytime naps.

They have free-choice pellets and some cracked corn in their run, along with water in a heated bucket. We feed them a soup at around 3:45 in the afternoon, and then we've been locking them into the duckhouse just around dusk each evening when the temps are below 0F.

The duckhouse is roughly 4'x8' with a thick layer if pine shavings and straw on top of that. We fluff the straw daily and add more as needed. We do not give them any food or water in the duckhouse. The duckhouse is not heated, though it does have power.

In the morning we give them soup, top off their food, change out their water, and inspect everybody.

They seem pretty happy all things considered.