What age/outside temp can they go outdoors?

[chickboss]

Hey, I just had a thought about how to sweeten them up a bit. This may be silly, and or redundant, but it worked with my horse that was really hard to catch and had really no good feelings about people.

First, I wouldn't throw her hay or grain until she took some from my hand. When she did, I gave her the food quickly and walked away. I did this until she just took the bit in my hand without hesitation. Then, when I was ready to finially try and catch her, I gave her a treat from out side the gate, let myself in, and walked away from her like she wasn't even there. I stood with my back to her. After a few minutes there was a muzzle on my shoulder, so I stuffed another treat down her and walked away again. We did this all around her pasture and I increased my contact with her as she got braver. This horse was known for not being able to be caught without major drama because she had barely been handled and she was eight. I had her haltered and following with a lead in about a 1/2 hour to forty five minutes and it has always been easy as pie to get her haltered since. Basicly, I just gave her what she wanted, with a small price tag. I am an amature at best when it comes to training, but everyone else had tried all kinds of stuff, but I think they pushed too fast, too far for her personallity. Turns out, the horse was a major sweetie and will follow me around the farm like a puppy if I let her. I think ducks are smart, I'm pretty sure you could teach them to be less skittish.

 

[ChristinaMae]

Aww, now that is a sweet story. I'll have to try that. Maybe if they think I don't want anything to do with them other than to give them treats they'll like me better, haha.

I put them outside earlier today, around 10:30am, while it was still a bit chilly and windy, the sun hadn't come out yet. It was about 40°F this morning, but felt a little cooler. I have an old plastic doghouse I put out there for them, with pine shavings in it. They're just free ranging right outside my back door. They're not straying far, yet, and I can see them easily from the livingroom window. I'm not worried about predators, they don't come this close to the house. They seem to be fine so far, and the sun has come out already, so I think they'll be good most of the day today. I'll bring them in tonight before it starts getting dark - or earlier if they appear to be getting cold.

This will work nicely, since I had to give them the large chicken waterer yesterday night (they way outgrew their previous waterer) and their brooder was soaked by morning.

Thank you all for your advice.

 

[mrbeansmom]

I came on here looking for a solution to the same problem. In fact, ChristinaMae's post could have been my own! LOL! My dear, sweet husband, knowing that I always said I'd love to have ducks "someday", brought home two little one day old Rouens about 4 weeks ago. We were in no manner ready for ducks (and still aren't really) and I have had them in the loft over our garage in a Rubbermaid tub. So far, I've done just about everything wrong and they have still managed to survive so, yes, I believe they are a pretty hearty bird! The feed store told my husband they are Mallards. They aren't. They sold him medicated chick food, and I found out at about 2 weeks that they aren't supposed to eat chick food at all, let alone medicated chick food. I had them on pine bedding and newspaper initially, now a beach towel that I have to change daily, sometimes twice daily. They are seriously the MESSIEST little things I've ever encountered! And they smell bad. They are tremendously cute, but like ChristinaMae, I believe they hate me. They also run to the opposite end of the tub to get away from me, even if I'm just peeking on them. I put them in a cardboard box with a piece of wire over the top when I clean their tub and the way they run around that tub to escape from my clutch when I try to move them is over the top! You'd think they thought I had designs on them for dinner or something. Seriously, I fear they will hurt themselves the way they run and smack into everything in their attempts to get away.

I have not put them in water yet. I thought I wasn't supposed to until about 6 weeks. I just bought them a pool at Wal-Mart today and I was hoping (Happy Mother's Day to me!) to move them out to the yard this weekend. We have a corral type area that's surrounded with chain link that we have a pygmy goat and 13 chickens in. There is a smaller fenced in area (completely fenced--even the top) that I was planning to put "Toot" and "Puddle" in. I have a large dog airline carrier I was going to line with straw for them for at night and I am putting their pool in there too. Now I'm thinking, after reading some of the posts here, that maybe I need to keep them indoors at night still for a few more weeks. What do you think? It's 83 degrees here today. It's been warm all week and I don't anticipate any big changes in the weather. It was our hope that one day we could let them out into the yard area of the corral with the chickens and the goat, but we were going to wait till they were nearly full grown. The area they will be in for now doesn't really have any grasses or anything. I guess the corral really doesn't either. Thank you all so much for your wisdom here. I really appreciate it....

 

[aprildyer9678]

I have 4 (4 wk old) Rouens and this past wknd. here in Sharon, VT the days are only hitting 50's and the nights are still going below freezing! I have made a pen for them that leads right to a brook that I've dug out into a small swimming hole and they LOVE it

I have a small dog house that is inside my shed and I do leave a heat lamp on them still during the nights. Other than that the temps. are not slowing these four duckies down at all!!! They prefer to be outside and on the go. So, I think it all depends on the ducks and their preferences...I think they are quite smart and will make the right choice of to cold or to hot! Here is a picture of them hanging out in the water ...


It didn't bother them at all!!! Now they hang out in there most of the day!

 

[inkedlady]

Our ducks are 3 weeks old have been going outside all day since last week and putting them in there plastic tub at night we now have a house and pen so thinking the should start sleeping out at night as one escaped the tub this morning as they are getting really big,