Heat needs of ducklings, chicks and keets brooding together

I usually raise ducklings but right now I am brooding 10 chicks, one guinea keet, and four ducklings together for the first time. It's working out pretty well so far. I brood them outside and the weather is between 90 and 100° during the day. I could have the ducklings off of heat right now and they'd be fine, but I'm not so sure about the chicks and the guinea since I don't have as much experience with them. The ducklings are one and two weeks old, the chicks and the keet are one week old. How old do they need to be to have the heat off completely?

What sort of heater do you use? They don't need heat if it's that hot outside during the day. Maybe at night but you also have enough that they will keep each other warm. I take mine off heat completely at 3-4 weeks old (sometimes sooner) depending on the dern SC weather.

Be careful with the ducks and chicks together. Ducklings grow VERY fast compared to chickens and guineas and they could accidently flatten one. Good luck!

SilverBirds said:

What sort of heater do you use? They don't need heat if it's that hot outside during the day. Maybe at night but you also have enough that they will keep each other warm. I take mine off heat completely at 3-4 weeks old (sometimes sooner) depending on the dern SC weather.

Be careful with the ducks and chicks together. Ducklings grow VERY fast compared to chickens and guineas and they could accidently flatten one. Good luck!

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Thank you! I use a heating plate. I can keep the plate on at night for a little longer if they need it. It can be in the low 70s at night, are they able to keep each other warm at that temperature or is that too cool? We've lost some chicks before but I've never lost a duckling, so I feel like the ducklings are more hardy.

I'll probably be moving the ducklings to the coop in around a week or so so hopefully they manage until then. I didn't think of trampling as a risk .

Leave the heat plate for another 2 weeks or so.

I agree, ducklings are definitely more hardy then chicks.

SilverBirds said:

Leave the heat plate for another 2 weeks or so.

I agree, ducklings are definitely more hardy then chicks.

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I'll do that. Thank you!

Question: what feed are you giving to satisfy all of the needs and requirements? I just grabbed 2 keets and 5 chicks. Idk what I was thinking I have no experience with guineas

NeedToKnowItAll said:

Question: what feed are you giving to satisfy all of the needs and requirements? I just grabbed 2 keets and 5 chicks. Idk what I was thinking I have no experience with guineas

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They have all been eating 18% unmedicated chick starter, with niacin in the water for the ducklings. I'm going to switch the ducklings to a flock maker with higher niacin after they leave the brooder. I have honestly just treated the guinea like the chicks, though I hear that they should have a higher protein. It would probably be better to find a turkey or gamebird starter for them all.

I'm raising 13 ducklings for the first time, and I've just today moved them into an outdoor coop but I'm wondering if it's too soon?

They are a mix of ages and I'm not sure exactly but I know the youngest are about 2 weeks old, maybe a little more, and the oldest maybe 5 weeks.

I don't have any heating set up in the coop and the lows at night are in the low 70s. Will they be able to keep each other warm? Right now my plan is to check on them every couple hours throughout the night and if they look cold I can move the younger ones back inside to the brooder.

But everything I read says if they're cold they'll huddle together. But the ducks all huddle together all the time when they're resting, even when it's 95 degrees out. So I'm not sure how I'll be able to tell if they get cold.

Can anyone advise? I know the rule is start at 95 and decrease by 5 degrees each week, but in my experience a big group of chicks usually do fine on a slightly accelerated schedule, and ducks grow so much faster that I can't imagine they need to be at 85 degrees right now.

Tilhana said:

I'm raising 13 ducklings for the first time, and I've just today moved them into an outdoor coop but I'm wondering if it's too soon?

They are a mix of ages and I'm not sure exactly but I know the youngest are about 2 weeks old, maybe a little more, and the oldest maybe 5 weeks.

I don't have any heating set up in the coop and the lows at night are in the low 70s. Will they be able to keep each other warm? Right now my plan is to check on them every couple hours throughout the night and if they look cold I can move the younger ones back inside to the brooder.

But everything I read says if they're cold they'll huddle together. But the ducks all huddle together all the time when they're resting, even when it's 95 degrees out. So I'm not sure how I'll be able to tell if they get cold.

Can anyone advise? I know the rule is start at 95 and decrease by 5 degrees each week, but in my experience a big group of chicks usually do fine on a slightly accelerated schedule, and ducks grow so much faster that I can't imagine they need to be at 85 degrees right now.

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All of my ducklings have been off of heat by 2 weeks old in those kinds of temperatures, and I've never even brooded that many at once. As long as they can't drench their whole coop with water I think they will be fine, but if you just check on them like you said, you can make sure .

WhiteTreeOfGondor said:

All of my ducklings have been off of heat by 2 weeks old in those kinds of temperatures, and I've never even brooded that many at once. As long as they can't drench their whole coop with water I think they will be fine, but if you just check on them like you said, you can make sure .

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Thanks! I did check on them a couple times and they seemed to be fine, and they were great this morning. But I'm glad to know others have taken them off heat that early. Their coop is pretty big so they won't be able to soak it.