Winter and ducks

[Elfy]

We live in Wisconsin. This will be our first winter with ducks. I was wondering if we needed to put in a heat source in the duck house? It's not insulated, but made out of plywood. The duck house has a door, should we keep them closed up when the temp drops or let them come and go. Anyone with winter experince in the northern part of the country?

 

[picklespickles]

my winters are nothing like yours, so i can't give good advice. i will say here that i see ducks walk across frozen ponds slipping and sliding and it doesn't seem to upset them at all.

 

[SteffieInMN]

I asked this very question about a month ago. I live in MN, just south of the TC metro area, so our weather is the same.

You can search this forum, but the advice I got was that they should be fine in the winter. Keep the water thawed and give them with some extra cracked corn for warmth. People said their ducks would just hunker down in a snow drift, right next to a bale of hay. If you have shelter for them, it sounds like they'll be just fine. I can't speak from experience, just from what people here responded to me.

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

I have 10 mini ducks that free range except at night in the worst weather conditions and when we are not home.

This is thier home. For the winter I put a new tarp on top to keep out the freezing snow and rain. I put a super thick clear plastic that I buy off the roll in the fabric sections of walmart 2.25 a yard it is the thickest stuff on the market. I added this to the right side and the front as a wind break. But I can still look out the window and see they are all right with out having to go out to look. I also added a wooden dog house for them I put it on the out side of the wire so they did not loose floor space I just cut the wire around the doggy door and I added a door to the back of the dog house for easy cleaning and adding fresh straw.

I empty the small pond when it starts to freeze and give them an electric dog bowl.
I have to refill it every morning and night.

 

[Elfy]

Thank you everyone for your reponse. I figured i had the right idea. I was going to put down a lot of pine savings in their house and get a waterer heater that goes under their big metal water dish. I was looking at their yesterday, they will be fine. Their house is right next to ours on the eastside of the house and there hardly any wind.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

You might also try insulating their quarters with straw bales (so long as the bales are kept dry).

The deep litter method of maintaining the pen should keep them warmer. There are plenty of past discussions of the deep litter method you can search for on this forum.

 

[snugglepup]

I can't get my ducks to go into their house. I put a dog house in their pen for them to get out of the weather, but so far they choose to sleep on the ground beside it. I suppose if I were serious, I would close them up in it until they got the idea. Do you think they will go in on their own if they need to?

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

I shut mine up inside the dog/house I gave them on a really fridgid night. JUST REMEMBER Ducks have a lot of fat. and in a small area like a dog coop that is closed of thier little bodys can give off a lot of heat. Any way after that
they do sleep in it on the worst of nights. and in the summer the girls lay their eggs in it.

 

[picklespickles]

ducks really do give off a lot of heat naturally. mine has fallen asleep in my arms and i had my own personal little heat wave.

 

[Kaw]

I can't get my ducks to go into their house. I put a dog house in their pen for them to get out of the weather, but so far they choose to sleep on the ground beside it. I suppose if I were serious, I would close them up in it until they got the idea. Do you think they will go in on their own if they need to?

My ducks needed to be herded into their shelter a few times. And for a while we might have stragglers. But If they expect food after a long day out you can train them
Now all I say is All Ducks Go to Bed and the waddle to the house. I wish I could post the video for you to see. Makes me kaugh everytime.