When is it too cold for ducks? - it's freezing in Portland, OR

[Mudbillkisses]

Nice set up you have there! I just purchased a heated water dish and I'll have to run an extension cord to it through the coop wall for night time use when it's all closed up. Because of how long they're in their coop (16 hours usually from dusk until I let them out in the a.m.) I'm concerned that's too long in the cold for them not to have access to water. I keep any food and any water dish in a rubber pan, which acts like a buffer and catches any spills. I just tried the "soup" idea...they were HIGHLY skeptical haha. They wouldn't go for it. Even though it had two of their favorite things in it: peas and meal worms. I am hoping their pickiness doesn't hurt them...I think they should be eating more to keep warm but they're not eating as much. My ducks graze and don't tend to eat just 2-3 times per day one 'sitting'. So the food freezes over time because they add water to it of course while eating. To make matters more complicated, my muscovy is MOLTING...poor thing. In these temperatures. I agree it's really helpful to have a place like this to run things by...share ideas....see what others have had success with etc. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Miss Lydia]

FYI don't sit a heated bowl into a pan where water will get splashed into then the heated bowl is sitting in water. When I sit anything heated bucket or bowl inside something else I sit it up off the bottom so it doesn't sit directly in the water when it gets into the container. Bricks or scrap wood works well .

 

[Mudbillkisses]

You want your ventilation up top not where the wind is blowing through your house right over your birds.
That way moisture can be released out of the vents. I open the top of my windows facing east and south to give plenty of ventilation . Similar to how 3bird has windows up high that is what you want.

Thank you! We our coop area under our sunroom for added protection- but with that we don't have a walk in coop....and the height is limited. So, the window is at the top of the coop but still about head level if the ducks are standing erect out in the center run area. I have a video that's cute and shows the coop really well but I can't seem to upload pics or videos here. What are you all using to do that? Thanks!

 

[Mudbillkisses]

FYI don't sit a heated bowl into a pan where water will get splashed into then the heated bowl is sitting in water. When I sit anything heated bucket or bowl inside something else I sit it up off the bottom so it doesn't sit directly in the water when it gets into the container. Bricks or scrap wood works well .

That's a great point. Thanks. This is the first time I've had to think about it now that I'm using a heated container.

 

[3bird]

Nice set up you have there! I just purchased a heated water dish and I'll have to run an extension cord to it through the coop wall for night time use when it's all closed up. Because of how long they're in their coop (16 hours usually from dusk until I let them out in the a.m.) I'm concerned that's too long in the cold for them not to have access to water. I keep any food and any water dish in a rubber pan, which acts like a buffer and catches any spills. I just tried the "soup" idea...they were HIGHLY skeptical haha. They wouldn't go for it. Even though it had two of their favorite things in it: peas and meal worms. I am hoping their pickiness doesn't hurt them...I think they should be eating more to keep warm but they're not eating as much. My ducks graze and don't tend to eat just 2-3 times per day one 'sitting'. So the food freezes over time because they add water to it of course while eating. To make matters more complicated, my muscovy is MOLTING...poor thing. In these temperatures. I agree it's really helpful to have a place like this to run things by...share ideas....see what others have had success with etc. Thanks for the feedback.

The soup took a while for our guys, but they are liking it now.

I'd love to hear some thoughts on how long is too long for ducks to be without water overnight. When dark is at 4, it's a good 14 hours. I've heard some say 9 hours is the max to not compromise laying, but I have not seen a figure for general health. Thoughts?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have never heard, Mine are inside from 3:30 chickens of their own accord Water fowl 4pm till 7:30 am Of their own accord. Doesn't seem to bother them but right now I only have 1 duck laying and just a few chickens. That should change come Feb.

 

[Mudbillkisses]

The soup took a while for our guys, but they are liking it now.

I'd love to hear some thoughts on how long is too long for ducks to be without water overnight. When dark is at 4, it's a good 14 hours. I've heard some say 9 hours is the max to not compromise laying, but I have not seen a figure for general health. Thoughts?

That's a great question. I have had ducks for a while now and I do put water in their coop at night (but in winter it freezes so they're without water for a good bit). I have a heated water dish I just got to make that easier...but that was mainly because I felt concerned the lack of water could inhibit their ability to eat/drink enough to keep warm in such cold temps. I read an article a while back and the person recommended ducks have access to water and food all the time to keep warm in the winter but even with a heated water dish- their pellet food freezes since they add water to the food when they eat.

 

[3bird]

I read an article a while back and the person recommended ducks have access to water and food all the time to keep warm in the winter...

I'd love to see the citation on that. That seems contrary to most of what we have read and heard. This seems like it should be a fairly straightforward question in which a clear risk/benefit calculus can yield reasonably good advice, right? I guess we need to define the type of winter to which we are referring and what we mean by "warm." Still, I've not seen a definitive source argue that 24/7 access to food and water is necessary in the winter. To the contrary, I've seen people argue that the risks of water in many coops in the winter outweighs the benefits. I'd love to hear more!

 

[Mudbillkisses]

Yeah, I mean I never said I was convinced. It's just the most definitive bit of info I was able to find back when I was looking into it. I'm interested in hearing from experienced duck owners who KNOW the nutritional and physiological reasons why it's important (or not) to have overnight in the winter. The biggest down side I've heard complaints about with water in the coop over night is mess. I don't have that issue. My ducks have seemed to do ok without water for several hours at night and then with water in the coop all night (during warmer months). I have never been able to get my ducks to eat a at designated times during the day. I suppose if you have your ducks on a feeding schedule (as I know some duck owners do) where you front end load it during the day and they eat/drink all they need in those hours- it's fine. My concern, personally, comes in because of the sporadic nature of their eating habits...which works great when they're free ranging the yard in warmer months, but less ideal in winter. WHEN and HOW MUCH of an issue that REALLY is for their health during extreme temps ....not sure.

 

[3bird]

Yeah, I mean I never said I was convinced. It's just the most definitive bit of info I was able to find back when I was looking into it. I'm interested in hearing from experienced duck owners who KNOW the nutritional and physiological reasons why it's important (or not) to have overnight in the winter. The biggest down side I've heard complaints about with water in the coop over night is mess. I don't have that issue. My ducks have seemed to do ok without water for several hours at night and then with water in the coop all night (during warmer months). I have never been able to get my ducks to eat a at designated times during the day. I suppose if you have your ducks on a feeding schedule (as I know some duck owners do) where you front end load it during the day and they eat/drink all they need in those hours- it's fine. My concern, personally, comes in because of the sporadic nature of their eating habits...which works great when they're free ranging the yard in warmer months, but less ideal in winter. WHEN and HOW MUCH of an issue that REALLY is for their health during extreme temps ....not sure.

Thanks. We're really new to ducks, but based on our research and observation of our flock of seven silver Appleyard ducks, we only lock them into the duckhouse when the temps approach or drop below 0 F. We have never offered water or food in the duckhouse overnight with the largest concern being humidity created by heated water in the duckhouse (and the potential mess, of course!). Otherwise, they are fed free choice with access to a heated water bucket in the winter and a small swimming space in the summer. They also get supplemental cracked corn and soup 2x/day in the winter. In the summer and shoulder seasons, they also spend a lot of time outside the coop foraging in the garden or elsewhere around the property.