Winter Worries

[Duckling543]

Hi! This is my first time raising ducklings and I am so excited to get them! I want to get them ASAP, but I'm not sure if I should get them this late in the fall. Would they be cold during the winter? They will be in their brooder until they are fully feathered, but I still don't want them to be to cold. The coldest it gets in Winter here is 36 degrees, and even still that is usually rare. I want to order them in November, but I don't know if I should! please help!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

36 isn't cold for ducks. They'll be fine.

 

[Amiga]

It depends on the duck. I have a few runners who do not thrive if night temperatures are below 40˚F, so I keep them in a night shelter that does not get colder than that. Daytime, on a sunny day, 35 is fine, but depending on clouds and precipitation, I may not leave them out all day. I watch them. Hunched shoulders, stiff legs, ruffled feathers, lethargy, are all signs they are getting too cold.

 

[Duckling543]

Ok, thank you. I'm getting 2 white crested ducks and I just don't want them to get to cold.