Wind shelter?

[Enigmius]

Thanks to that hurricane, DFW Texas has been experiencing daily rain for a week and a half with unusual cool weather. It is 43*F here which is seasonally abnormal. My covered coop really doesn’t have a wind block from the north side, only the west and south(mainly for the sun in our hot summers). The other sides(north and east) are hardwarecloth.
So my questions are:
1: Do ducks need shelter from the cold wind?
2: How low of a temp can they take? Texas usually only gets to the 20’s in the winter, but once in a blue moon we dip into the high teens for a few hours over night.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They do need shelter from cold wind maybe only cover half of the side that get the worst wind the north probably with a tarp or heavy plastic I put clear plastic over the 2 doors going into my coop one is facing west and the other north then I keep the tops of the windows facing south open for ventilation.

 

[chickens really]

I use vapour barrier plastic on my Runs in the winter. It allows the sun in and will heat up the Run like a green house.

 

[PirateGirl]

Ducks do alright in cold. It was below zero F this morning with snow on the ground when I got up and the ducks all came running out of their house as soon as I opened the door looking for food. (The chickens on the other hand probably won't come out until afternoon at the warmest part of the day, they just look out the window and peck at the glass when it's like this).

I have the house positioned so the door is on the side that gets the least wind. I also have a piece of plywood (about 3ftx4ft) on the side of run the wind most often comes from, it blocks wind in winter and creates a bit of shade in the summer.

I have an old pallet that isn't attached to anything and I can move it to any side of the chicken or duck run. I move it around depending on weather and just sort of lean it against the fence to block wind or sun or snow or whatever is going on at the time.

In a pinch a staple gun and shower curtain can make a bit of wind block/run wrap.

 

[Enigmius]

Thanks everybody. I have s bit of time before DFW Texas sees freezing temps. So I’ll start planning ahead.

 

[sourland]

As others have said, ducks are very winter hardy. Do something to limit wind exposure with temporary pen siding/covers, and they will be fine.

 

[PirateGirl]

Also if you decide to go for plastic of some sort, if you use furring strips on the outside so that the plastic is sandwiched between the furring strips and the run fencing it will hold up a bit better to the wind.

 

[Enigmius]

Also if you decide to go for plastic of some sort, if you use furring strips on the outside so that the plastic is sandwiched between the furring strips and the run fencing it will hold up a bit better to the wind.

I think I know what you mean. The strips of wood would help to prevent ripping of the plastic, right?

 

[chickens really]

I think I know what you mean. The strips of wood would help to prevent ripping of the plastic, right?

I definitely have had zero issues with the vapour barrier plastic ever ripping even in strong winds here. I use staples or zip ties depending on what runs I'm covering.

 

[PirateGirl]

I think I know what you mean. The strips of wood would help to prevent ripping of the plastic, right?

Exactly, I put them like ever 2 feet roughly and it seemed to give it enough to keep the wind from tearing it up. Depending on your weather and depending on your plastic this may be unnecessary. I live at high altitude where the UV is stronger and plastics degrade quickly. I'm also in a high wind area. So when I wrap it, it's fencing, plastic stapled on the outside, then a few strips of wood screwed on the outside of the plastic.