Winter With Ducks?

[awyman]

With summer ending, fall starting I’m starting to think about winter. This is my first winter with ducks. I’ve had chickens during winter but they stay in the coop all day when it’s super cold and snowing heavily. I’m scared about my ducks getting buried in the snow. I’m in West Virginia so we've has 4 feet of snow before and temperatures below 0. I know ducks are very hardy animals. But I’m just a worried duck mom. So does anyone have any tips or advice on winter duck keeping?

 

[Steven Bussell]

Do they have a place to go to. I seem ducks out playing in the snow. But they also have a house to go to when they decide it's to cold

 

[awyman]

Do they have a place to go to. I seem ducks out playing in the snow. But they also have a house to go to when they decide it's to cold

Yep, they have a big barn that they share with our other livestock. Bedded heavily with straw in the winter.

 

[Steven Bussell]

Yep, they have a big barn that they share with our other livestock. Bedded heavily with straw in the winter.

Sounds like you are ready. Stay warm and post pictures of the snow.. Because that is how close to snow I like to get...

 

[thumper650]

Yep, they have a big barn that they share with our other livestock. Bedded heavily with straw in the winter.

You’re good then. I’m further north than you, my ducks have a run and a house. They rarely choose to go inside. I came home from work at 4am one day, they were sleeping outside with their beaks tucked. It was snowing very heavily. I made them go inside, but they were perfectly happy in the snow.

 

[PirateGirl]

It can freeze here any night of the year. Ducks are extremely cold hardy and my ducks tolerate and perhaps even enjoy winter weather more than my chickens. They sleep outside by choice most nights and I will come home to find them hunkered down in the snow in a blizzard instead of in their house. They are so active dunking in their drinking water bucket it takes much longer than the chicken water to freeze and I just swap it with a fresh water bucket about 2-3 times a day. I only give swimming water occasionally on days when it’s above freezing, and try and keep water away from their house so they don’t create and ice rink. If you can keep chickens in winter you will have no problem with ducks, they do much better in the cold weather.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi @awyman - i'm in West Virginia too! Where' you located?
Don't worry about your ducks, if they have a place where they can stay dry and out of the winds they will enjoy the winter moire than the hot summer. My ducks are panting when it is hot - imagine you have to wear a down-jacket at over 80F that you cannot take off…
The only issue i had was the frozen waterer, so i had to go outside 2-3 times a day to dump that block of ice out of the rubber bowl and fill it up with warm water.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

@WVduckchick - another West Virginian!

 

[bluemerle]

Ducks love winter. Biggest concern is frostbite - keep their house as dry as possible at night, and make sure they're not sitting in water when it's in danger of freezing (no pool, no water bucket that they're able to climb into).

 

[Texag87]

I have to prep for winter tomorrow. High of 89.