Winter With Ducks?

[Miss Lydia]

 

[Tilly6]

I live in the Upper Peninsula of MI, the ducks and geese are fine all winter long. The only time they don’t come out of their house is during a polar vortex (when the windchills are so bad that they cancel school.)

 

[Afroggie4u]

I agree with the others, my ducks love the winter. Freezing water is my only issue but giving fresh water several times a day helps. I also put hay on the ground for walkways for my ducks because their feet do get cold and they refuse to go in the house in the daytime. At night I lock everyone inside their house. Mine live in a house I build out of pallets so the only extra insulation is hay stuffed in the walls of the house. I also use rubber water bowl I got from TSC and put them in the center of old tires, I stuff the tires with bubble wrap and it helps with the freezing. We have cold winters and last year we hit -20 a few times, they still wanted outside.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My ducks don’t mind the cold but do spend quite a bit of time inside when the strong frigid winds are blowing. My Runners actually taught my Muscovys it’s okay to go inside when your cold. Just give them the choice. Heated buckets are my go to.

 

[awyman]

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.

I’m in Preston County!

 

[awyman]

Thank you all so much! You’ve made me feel so much better about the upcoming winter. I’ll make sure I post some pictures of my ducks enjoying the snow when the time comes!

 

[DellaMyDarling]

Hmm, so do you ladies remove the bathing pools when temps are below freezing?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I do and when temps get upper 30’s I give them the cement mixing tub. Quick bath and dump before dark.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

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

Make sure the furnace is working properly!

 

[Miss Lydia]

And you have plenty of firewood.