What to do in -40 deg F?

[DoodlesDuckies]

I live in Wisconsin and am used to "cold"...my 6 ducks and 2 geese go outside everyday and in a hut at night. No food or water in hut. I do keep the doors open all day and they choose to stay outside till dark. Temps have been below zero for a while.

This Thursday thru Saturday is going to be bad. Down to -40 deg F. Do I attempt to keep them in their hut? If so...how can I leave food and water without them making a HUGE mess? We have no thaw in sight so letting them make a mess will not be an option as it will be ICE for a LONG time. Any water bowl ideas? Or...just leave them be and let them live their life as they have been??

Thanks

 

[Goosebaby]

I would keep them in. You can put them on less feed but higher protein, higher carb feed, and cracked corn will warm up their metabolism too. My goose bowls are in bus bins to limit spills, a 2 gallon bucket filled only half way with a big rock in it can limit spills and encourage them not to bath in it, you’ll need to refill it more often but you’ll need to do that anyway if it freezes because it isn’t a heated bucket

 

[yarrowhouse]

Wow, that is cold! No answers to offer, just a similar question here in North Carolina where we will have (possibly) a rare 4 days in a row below freezing, including a night before 0.

@DoodlesDuckies what do you do for your poultry in your regular before freezing cold? Our setup is similar - a straw filled hutch overnight, though they like to be out during the day. We do leave a little water in the hutch overnight, on the wall to minimize mess making, just enough to dip their nostrils. It freezes by morning though.

We just have 4 ducks at the moment.

I live in Wisconsin and am used to "cold"...my 6 ducks and 2 geese go outside everyday and in a hut at night. No food or water in hut. I do keep the doors open all day and they choose to stay outside till dark. Temps have been below zero for a while.

This Thursday thru Saturday is going to be bad. Down to -40 deg F. Do I attempt to keep them in their hut? If so...how can I leave food and water without them making a HUGE mess? We have no thaw in sight so letting them make a mess will not be an option as it will be ICE for a LONG time. Any water bowl ideas? Or...just leave them be and let them live their life as they have been??

Thanks

 

[DoodlesDuckies]

Wow, that is cold! No answers to offer, just a similar question here in North Carolina where we will have (possibly) a rare 4 days in a row below freezing, including a night before 0.

@DoodlesDuckies what do you do for your poultry in your regular before freezing cold? Our setup is similar - a straw filled hutch overnight, though they like to be out during the day. We do leave a little water in the hutch overnight, on the wall to minimize mess making, just enough to dip their nostrils. It freezes by morning though.

We just have 4 ducks at the moment.

I have straw filled hut for at night. (6ftx12ft-loaded w straw bales and covered sides) During the day they do have plug in water bowls outside. NOT THE BUCKETS! Those darn things freeze at the top ALL THE TIME. I have the bowls. Ducks are fine as long as they have some sort of a wind break. I will take them the rubber tubs when the temps are over 10 deg. They still use them as a hot tub and the warm bowls as hot tubs.

I may have to think about putting the plug in bowls in the hut for a couple days. Get some cracked corn.