Winterizing Duck Pen

[BumbleBee&Walle]

Hello all,

I have two pekin ducks and this will be their second winter with us and first in their new pen setup. We have a 10x10x6 kennel with a roof and a 4x4 house attached. There is a heat lamp in the house and we plan on putting tarps around the sides of the pen to keep the wind from blowing through. I was wondering if we should just put two heat lamps in their house (instead of the one currently) to keep it extra warm, instead putting more heat lamps outside.

Last winter, we only had one heat lamp in the house and one in the pen. Neither of them seemed to make a big difference. Their water would still sometimes freeze in their house. Also, even if it was freezing outside and their house was warm...they would always sit in the coldest part of their pen. So i don't know how much the cold really bothered them. If it was ever in the teens or below, we would bring them inside, so that's not much of an issue.

I'm afraid I will be wasting money putting a heat lamp in their pen because it's such a big area and not well insulated that it won't make any difference. I think having two heat lamps in their house would be best. That way if they were really cold, they could go in their house and keep warm.

What do you guys think? Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[annie3001]

hello and welcome to byc! i would not put 2 heatlamps. do you have a basement? could they room their for the winter? i dunno. ducks are pretty hardy and can tolerate the cold.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Remove the heatlamps. Add in straw bedding to the house and a water heater (home made or bought) for their water bucket/bowl. Happy ducks even in the cold.

 

[dianaross77]

I have to agree that you should remove the heat lamp. Ducks are covered in down and will be plenty warm on their own. Blocking the wind is the most important. Heat lamps are dangerous and can start fires.

 

[Going Quackers]

I agree with the others.. we get quite cold here in winter but i have no plans to add heat.. i will need to heat the water but otherwise nope... as a matter of fact it has already hit -4C overnight and the water did not freeze in the duck barn.. they obviously generate a fair bit of warmth

 

[wackwack]

Quote:
how do you home make a water heater???
there is no kind of water heater to find in ireland...can anyone recommend a good cheap one (i know i know cheap usually isnt good!) that i could get shipped?

 

[UrbanFarmerGreg]

Last year I had 2 indian runner ducks and in their house I had a heatlamp which burned out around the new year... so I decided to go with no extra heat, and everything went good. I too need to get a waterer heater or something because changing water several times a day in the winter sucks... now I have 5 ducks and the same size house so again no heat will be required... best of luck on your backyard adventure

 

[dianaross77]

Quote:
how do you home make a water heater???
there is no kind of water heater to find in ireland...can anyone recommend a good cheap one (i know i know cheap usually isnt good!) that i could get shipped?

Do a search for cookie tin water heater. There are a few good threads about it with instructions. It's basically a metal cookie container with a light bulb inside it. I was wondering if it would work with a string of christmas lights (fairy lights?) wound up inside.

 

[RunnerWhisperer]

We haven't had too cold of weather yet but it's been in the mid 30's to low 40's in the am. Lot's of rain and very wet. So far mine don't seem to mind any of it at all. I removed their pool and set it outside next to the pen, they seemed to have adjusted just fine without it at nighttime. I refill it in the mornings now that it's dark before I get home. I use a lot of straw inside the pen and doghouse.

This next weekend we will be putting on the roof and wrapping the sides with plastic to keep the wind out. I think they will be just fine. The water freezing will be a challenge but it's really not a big deal. I can bring out a bucket of warm water in the am to help thaw things out and warm up the pool. It's no different to me than refillining the dog dishes on a cold frozen morning. I can't wait to see them in their first snow!

 

[BeaksAndWings]

We have 5 pekin ducks and this is their first winter with us. Their pen is a covered trampoline with welded wire and mesh all the way around to keep predators out and then a yard gate where they can get out into the yard and enjoy the sun and preen in their pool during the day when they want to. We have a large dog house in the covered area of the pen for them to get into and are planning on putting plenty of straw in it this weekend. It has been below freezing a few nights here already and they have done fine. The cold doesn't seem to bother them at all. It does get very windy here sometimes so blocking the wind is our priority for the ducks and our chickens. We have lost a few young chickens already due to the the fact they they decided not to get into their coop and instead tried to huddle together in a corner of the run and didn't survive the night. This weekend we are trying to winterize everything a bit more in hopes of not losing anymore of our flock. We are also trying the cookie tin water heater as I have read a lot of reviews on it and it seems to be very cheap and effective on both metal and plastic waterers and we have both! Definitely worth a try!
We do not use heat lamps on any of our birds that are outside. As long as they have a dry place out of the wind, supplemental heat is not needed for chickens or ducks. They are designed to survive without the help of us humans (as much as our hearts want to believe otherwise.) Placing heat lamps when not really needed is a fire hazard and can lead to devastating results. We only use heat lamps on our newborns and if we have a hen that goes broody. Even then, the heat lamps are typically used inside, part time, and only as needed to ensure the young stay extra warm.

Best of luck!