Winter is Coming! Checklists, tips, advice for a newbie

[hennible]

Chickens and snow I've seen, I know my girls are tough and can handle the cold. But this will be my first winter with ducks I will likely see -40, and would like advice on what these guy will need to make the winter in good health. They're big ducks, Rouen and Rouen cross blue Swedish. Any one with cold temp duck advice?

 

[Alaskan]

Those kind of ducks are MUCH hardier than chickens.

Once you hit -10F and lower, make sure the only water they have is a bucket they can get their head in, but nothing else. In the middle of the day, you can bring them out a sled of water to play in if you want, but put it away well before bedtime.

Other than that, they will be fine. They do better in the cold than chickens.

 

[hennible]

That's great to hear. And from someone in Alaska non the less! I presume your in Alaska, you know cold better than northern BC.
Do you heat your coop? Or just use measures to keep water open?
Thanks Alaskan

 

[Alaskan]

That's great to hear. And from someone in Alaska non the less! I presume your in Alaska, you know cold better than northern BC.
Do you heat your coop? Or just use measures to keep water open?
Thanks Alaskan

I am in a warm part of Alaska so you actually get lots colder than me.

I don't think I hit -20.

I do not heat my coop, and it has LOTS of ventilation, a 7 inch gap all along more than two walls.

For water I bring it out three times a day, until it freezes solid in under an hour. Then I put a stock tank deicer (one that can touch plastic and not bust if it runs dry) in the black rubber pan (often used to feed horses).

My older sister lives in northern Minnesota, and she had geese there last winter. I know she hit -30. I can't remember how much colder she got.

She has no electric, and brought them water only twice a day (she has to pump her water by hand), they had a very well ventilated shelter and did great.

 

[hennible]

Thank you again alaska

 

[K Epp]

I'm thinking a head and last year with good hearted laughter Y'all got this Georgia girl and her Southern Bell birds through the winter. Let's just say I was not expecting the Polar Vortex and its -20 wind chill. They are saying this winter is going to be worse than last. I think the problem here isn't the cold temps its the fluctuations between. It could be 40's & 50's one week and in the teens the next.

I have open sided coops and kept those covered in plastic to keep the wind out. I kept hay on the ground so they had something warm to walk on and dig through for entertainment. They have pine shavings now.

In the barn (cinder block building with dirt floor) I covered window and door with plastic, but opened the top approximate 6 inches for ventilation. Hay on the bottom again. Mostly from goat spillage. The barn houses chickens, turkeys, ducks, goats and a goose. The only differnce is the water fowel are in there this year. I plan to keep them a nice bed of hay to sleep in. No food or water in the barn. They have access to a running creek and I feed out side.

Any suggestion on anything else to do?

 

[Alaskan]

I'm thinking a head and last year with good hearted laughter Y'all got this Georgia girl and her Southern Bell birds through the winter. Let's just say I was not expecting the Polar Vortex and its -20 wind chill. They are saying this winter is going to be worse than last. I think the problem here isn't the cold temps its the fluctuations between. It could be 40's & 50's one week and in the teens the next.

I have open sided coops and kept those covered in plastic to keep the wind out. I kept hay on the ground so they had something warm to walk on and dig through for entertainment. They have pine shavings now.

In the barn (cinder block building with dirt floor) I covered window and door with plastic, but opened the top approximate 6 inches for ventilation. Hay on the bottom again. Mostly from goat spillage. The barn houses chickens, turkeys, ducks, goats and a goose. The only differnce is the water fowel are in there this year. I plan to keep them a nice bed of hay to sleep in. No food or water in the barn. They have access to a running creek and I feed out side.

Any suggestion on anything else to do?

Sounds good!

 

[K Epp]

One more question. I'm feeding a little 3 grain scratch now. They get 99% of their intake off the 3 acres they free range on. Last winter I fed 22% layer pellets and a mix of cracked corn. I stopped the layer because the calcium isn't good for the roos and non layers. In the winter they aren't going to be getting g as much from the land. I'm looking for something in pellet form because do much of the crumbles gets wasted. Any suggestions? The feed store has a All Stock pellet that's 14%. I'm not worried about egg production, but the health of the birds.

 

[Alaskan]

I think the higher protein helps with the freezing cold.....but of course, like you said, even though you might get cold, you will not stay cold..

is that what you meant? That your temps will just swing all over higgledy piggelty?

In which case, high protein might not be as important for you.

I agree that the high calcium isn't good for the roosters. I have been feeding mine pullet grower, so that they would have the higher protein but not the higher calcium. I am actually not sure if my tiny town will continue to carry pullet grower all winter....

Anyway, I was having oodles of wasted feed, and switched to the trashcan with elbow pipes going into the trashcan.

GOLDEN!

Are you familiar with that kind of homemade feeder? Some of the pictures I had seen on the internet showed some feed was still being wasted, but the long thread here on BYC goes over how you need to watch the pipe length, angle, and height above the bottom of the trashcan to result in true zero feed loss.

 

[K Epp]

I don't use feeders because those dilly hosts get into the feeders and gorge on the food. If the turky and goose can get in to the food the goats can.

Yes, my temps are all helter skelter and yo yo back and forth. I'm in the south, but in the Appalachian mountains.