Winter, new born ducklings following Mumma duck in the cold. Should I keep them warm?

[Run Amock DucksNChickens]

I'm worried that if I leave the ducklings with Mumma duck (Dingus) that they will die from the cold.
I've taken the first one and put it in the hot box with Amy (incubated sister).
Should I keep taking them or leave them?

 

[JaeG]

Unless you can confine the mother for the first week so she doesn't take them places that, in the middle of winter, would be too much for the littlies, I'd be tempted to take the babies and raise them separately to be on the safe side.

If you can confine her then you could put those two cuties back under her at night and she should bond with them just fine, and they with her. She'll keep all of her ducklings warm enough if she has somewhere sheltered and safe to stay where she is prevented from taking them swimming or on long treks.

 

[Run Amock DucksNChickens]

Unless you can confine the mother for the first week so she doesn't take them places that, in the middle of winter, would be too much for the littlies, I'd be tempted to take the babies and raise them separately to be on the safe side.

If you can confine her then you could put those two cuties back under her at night and she should bond with them just fine, and they with her. She'll keep all of her ducklings warm enough if she has somewhere sheltered and safe to stay where she is prevented from taking them swimming or on long treks.

We started with a small nesting area surrounded by a huge cage for protection. Then Dingus got clucky and booted the Drake (Dizzy) out into the cold. So my husband Scott put a second story on top of her nesting area. It's wrapped in carpet for insulation and very private.
I don't trust that she'll keep them warm. It's cold here in Australia atm.
Really appreciate your input. We didn't want to take her baby.

 

[Run Amock DucksNChickens]

We started with a small nesting area surrounded by a huge cage for protection. Then Dingus got clucky and booted the Drake (Dizzy) out into the cold. So my husband Scott put a second story on top of her nesting area. It's wrapped in carpet for insulation and very private.
I don't trust that she'll keep them warm. It's cold here in Australia atm.
Really appreciate your input. We didn't want to take her baby.

I'm hoping to put them back when they can

We started with a small nesting area surrounded by a huge cage for protection. Then Dingus got clucky and booted the Drake (Dizzy) out into the cold. So my husband Scott put a second story on top of her nesting area. It's wrapped in carpet for insulation and very private.
I don't trust that she'll keep them warm. It's cold here in Australia atm.
Really appreciate your input. We didn't want to take her baby.

I'm hoping to put them back when they can regulate their own body temperature... not sure when that'll be exactly. Any ideas?

 

[JaeG]

I'm hoping to put them back when they can

I'm hoping to put them back when they can regulate their own body temperature... not sure when that'll be exactly. Any ideas?

It would be best if she did raise them as then you don't have to reintegrate them once they are older, and drakes can get overly possessive of their mates and kill ducklings so Dingus (I love the name!) did the right thing kicking Dizzy out. Ducklings can go up to 3 days without food and water while they wait for all of their siblings to hatch and in that time they start to bond with their mother and snuggle under her. Even if your ducklings are a few days old they'll still accept going back to their duck mother.

Ducklings will instinctively snuggle under their mother and she'll talk to them too and react to their complaints that they are cold by sitting down for them. When I did some research I discovered, with Muscovy ducks at least, bonding between mother and babies actually happened in the days after hatch, and in one observation a whole clutch of ducklings abandoned the duck that hatched them, and joined up with a different duck!

Ducklings take longer to feather out fully than chickens, and they may need to stay inside for up to 12 weeks (at night at least - they can go out to a sheltered pen during the day when the weather is ok). I loved raising ducklings, but they really are stinky little piglets by the time they are old enough to stay outside. Unfortunately we don't have a drake at the moment but in the future I'm happy to let my ducks or chicken hens do the hard work because inside ducklings require a lot of cleaning.

Last October I had a tiny bantam hen raise a lone Muscovy duckling (that I was sure was going to be my drake but turned out to be another girl). Despite her small size she kept that baby warm enough, even when it was bigger than she was. I'm in northern New Zealand (hey neighbour!) so it wasn't that cold, but it wasn't that warm either, especially at night. Babies raised outside do seem to be tougher than ones raised indoors too.

 

[NatJ]

It's cold here in Australia atm.

How cold?

We've got people all over the world, with very different ideas of "cold." So it really helps if you list actual temperatures, and tell whether you're giving it in Celsius or Fahrenheit.

If you don't know the exact temperature, even knowing if it's above or below freezing can help.

 

[Run Amock DucksNChickens]

It would be best if she did raise them as then you don't have to reintegrate them once they are older, and drakes can get overly possessive of their mates and kill ducklings so Dingus (I love the name!) did the right thing kicking Dizzy out. Ducklings can go up to 3 days without food and water while they wait for all of their siblings to hatch and in that time they start to bond with their mother and snuggle under her. Even if your ducklings are a few days old they'll still accept going back to their duck mother.

Ducklings will instinctively snuggle under their mother and she'll talk to them too and react to their complaints that they are cold by sitting down for them. When I did some research I discovered, with Muscovy ducks at least, bonding between mother and babies actually happened in the days after hatch, and in one observation a whole clutch of ducklings abandoned the duck that hatched them, and joined up with a different duck!

Ducklings take longer to feather out fully than chickens, and they may need to stay inside for up to 12 weeks (at night at least - they can go out to a sheltered pen during the day when the weather is ok). I loved raising ducklings, but they really are stinky little piglets by the time they are old enough to stay outside. Unfortunately we don't have a drake at the moment but in the future I'm happy to let my ducks or chicken hens do the hard work because inside ducklings require a lot of cleaning.

Last October I had a tiny bantam hen raise a lone Muscovy duckling (that I was sure was going to be my drake but turned out to be another girl). Despite her small size she kept that baby warm enough, even when it was bigger than she was. I'm in northern New Zealand (hey neighbour!) so it wasn't that cold, but it wasn't that warm either, especially at night. Babies raised outside do seem to be tougher than ones raised indoors too.

I agree with you. It's like Dingus doesn't know it's the middle of Winter lol.
We've noticed the duckling born we got this morning is steadier on her feet than Amy. Oh and I think Amy is a Floyd, the new duckling can be Amy, she sings beautifully.

 

[Run Amock DucksNChickens]

How cold?

We've got people all over the world, with very different ideas of "cold." So it really helps if you list actual temperatures, and tell whether you're giving it in Celsius or Fahrenheit.

If you don't know the exact temperature, even knowing if it's above or below freezing can help.

-2c

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's cold. I'm thinking if they were mine I would have to brood them myself. If you can't contain Dingus and make sure she is keeping her ducklings warm. Ducklings hatched by a mama duck are pretty hardy but 28* F is too cold if mama isn't keeping them warm. Make sure Dingus has a way to poop away from her nest though.

 

[NatJ]

-2c

At that temperature, the ducklings should be fine when they are underneath the mother, and fine for a little while as they come out to eat and drink, but it would not be good for them to go for long walks or try to swim.

I would probably try to keep the ducklings with the mother, but in a pen that won't let them swim or go too far, and watch or check frequently to see how they do. How your specific female duck acts will be the biggest factor, and you're in the best position to learn that.

If that's your night low temperature, it happens when they're sleeping under the mother, and the day is warmer, which is better. I'm guessing they'll be fine if that is the case. (Mother ducks in northern climates can hatch babies in the spring, when the nights are still getting cold, and raise them just fine.)

If that's your daytime high temperature, it's hard to even keep water liquid for them to drink, and I'd probably try to bring the mother and babies in somewhere a little warmer. (But if you bring them somewhere very warm, you may have to keep them in until the weather warms up, because they won't adapt properly to the cold weather. So just a little warmer is probably better than very warm, if the mother duck does a good job of warming her babies when they need it.)