When can ducklings move outdoors?

[Vickers58]

I've got an awesome brooder on wheels... That I would LOVE to wheel on out of my house!! These two guys are a messy messy pair and I would like to get them outdoors as soon as it's safe for them! Any tips? Temperatures? I live in dallas Texas and these two are three weeks old!

 

[Amiga]

It will be several weeks, yet, Vickers, at three weeks they are not fully feathered, and while Dallas is south of here, there is still some wicked weather that can come your way . . . unless I underestimate the cushiness of their outside house.

Have you built Little Fort Knox to protect them from the predators that will show up? I forget.

 

[Vickers58]

I was afraid of that

When they are ready to join our other two they will go into the hoop coop which has tarps that lift an lower depending on the silly Texas weather! Yesterday the high was in the 60s today it's in the 30s!

Any idea on how much longer they will need a heat lamp?

 

[Amiga]

General rule of thumb, start at 90F the first week, drop 5 degrees a week until there is no need for additional heat.

So, to get to a temperature of 60, that's 90 minus 6 times 5, right? So about six weeks. To go to 40, another four weeks. And that's for the daily low, not high, but you know that.

Having water management issues? Bedding issues?