I’m in a few duck-raising groups on social media and the question, “How do you care for ducks in the winter?” gets asked seemingly nonstop. If you’re new to ducks and have this same question, don’t worry – ducks are surprisingly very hardy and easy to care for in the winter. Here are my tried and true tips after going through several successful winters with my flock.
Do the Deep Bedding Method
I use the deep bedding method, also called the deep litter method, only in the winter. This is because in the winter, duck droppings and water tend to freeze solid overnight, sometimes making it impossible to scoop out.
To use the deep bedding method, you simply start with a thick layer of bedding – I use fine pine shavings. Then, instead of scooping out and replacing all of the bedding with every clean, you simply add more bedding on top of the soiled bedding, allowing it to compost underneath. This will not only save you a bunch of time and headaches, but it will also be better for your ducks. The deeper the bedding, the harder it will be to freeze solid, leaving them with warm, dry bedding all winter long.
In the spring, you’ll remove everything that has built up over winter and you’ll have a lovely compost pile!
Add Straw – NOT Hay
I add piles of straw to my coop in the winter, in addition to the pine shavings I use for bedding. This allows the ducks to have extra warmth. If you have the space for it in your coop, a great tip is to cut a door hole and a few ventilation holes in a plastic storage tote or two, turn them upside down, then put a pile of straw inside. This creates very cozy huts for them.
A very important distinction here is that straw and hay are not the same – you must use straw for this purpose. Hay is quietly literally for horses – it is dried grass that will always have some moisture content. It also absorbs additional moisture. In the winter, this can actually make your ducks colder, since that moisture inside the hay will freeze.
Straw, on the other hand, are the dried, hollow stems of grain products, usually wheat. Because it is hollow inside, straw does not retain or absorb moisture, making it safe and comfortable for animals like ducks and barn cats in the winter.
Provide Unfrozen Water Daily
Ducks need fresh, unfrozen water every day, even in the winter. If you have a pond year-round like I do, make sure you break up any thick ice on top so your flock has access to water throughout the day. If your pond has frozen solid and will not break up, you’ll have to provide another source of water for your ducks. This can be as simple as a small rubber feed container you might get from your local feed store, just as long as it’s deep enough that the ducks can dunk their whole heads into.
I provide water in my coop at night all year. I prefer to know that my ducks always have a source of water to clean their bills or wash down food. Some people choose not to put food or water in their coops at night. Either way is fine, as long as the ducks have a dry area to get to out of the water.
If you are like me and need to haul water from your house to your coop in the winter, I have a very important tip: do not give them hot water! This will interfere with their ability to self regulate their body temperature in cold weather. You can add a little lukewarm water to take the chill off, but it shouldn’t even be room temperature.
Don’t Use Heat Lamps – You Simply Don’t Need Them
This is the subject of much debate every winter on those duck groups I mentioned. The bottom line is that ducks do not need heat lamps to stay warm in the winter, even in below-freezing temperatures! I live in a climate where we often have wind chills in the negatives, and sometimes air temp in the negatives in the winter and have never once used a heat lamp outside.
Heat lamps are problematic for two reasons: 1) They’re a safety hazard; there’s no buts about that, and 2) They can interfere with your ducks’ ability to self-regulate their temperature.
Think about sitting inside in a warm winter coat for an hour. Then walk outside in freezing weather wearing that same coat. It doesn’t keep you as warm as it would if you hadn’t been wearing it inside because your skin temperature has now risen. It is the same for animals under heat lamps who then venture out into the snow in the same feather “coat” they had on under the lamp.
Instead, if you are having a particularly frigid cold snap, you can keep your ducks in their coop (make sure they still have ventilation) to protect them from cold wind. Give them extra straw and bedding and some sort of box like my plastic tote idea from above, and they’ll stay pretty roasty toasty!
Always Allow for Ventilation
I mentioned this briefly above, but it’s so important, it warranted its own section. Do not make the mistake of buttoning up your coop completely so that there’s no airflow whatsoever. Even in frigid-cold temperatures, ducks need proper ventilation to stay healthy. They produce moisture and will get sick if cooped up (literally) without airflow. The best duck coop ventilation will be up high so they get the airflow without a cold draft down below.
Bottom Line
With a little planning and knowhow, ducks are a breeze in the winter – it’s one of the reasons I chose them over chickens. Of course, some breeds are hardier than others, but generally speaking, your flock should do just fine if you implement these tips and just keep an eye on everyone in very harsh weather.
