Hatching eggs in Maine, during the late Fall months, is not the smartest thing to do. Especially when your housing for your birds isn't finished. Although, when you find a good deal on something, very few of us can pass it up, right? With a chance to get hatching eggs for some of my 'dream' ducks, at a good price, I couldn't pass it up.
Well the eggs hatched with much better results than I ever expected. [This is a shameless plug for Celtic Oaks Farm and their fantastic stock.] Okay, now what? I have the biggest totes I can find and they still aren't going to handle all of these birds. 10 Kahki Campbells, 5 Silver Appleyards and 3 Muscovy. The duck house isn't finished inside and it's too cold for them even with a heat lamp. No work shop to build one in and the weather is miserable. Then it hit me.....a Deck Box! Why not? They're big, sturdy, easily cleaned and won't break and crack like the smaller totes after being used for repeated hatchings. Off to Home Depot.
This is a picture of it after lining it with plastic. I don't really think you would need to if it were chickens, but with ducks I really thought it would be a good idea. The measurements are 60" L x 28" H x 26" W.
Here's an inside view of one half of the box,
and here's the other end. These little guys now have plenty of room and I have time to set up a proper area for them in the duck house.
Well the eggs hatched with much better results than I ever expected. [This is a shameless plug for Celtic Oaks Farm and their fantastic stock.] Okay, now what? I have the biggest totes I can find and they still aren't going to handle all of these birds. 10 Kahki Campbells, 5 Silver Appleyards and 3 Muscovy. The duck house isn't finished inside and it's too cold for them even with a heat lamp. No work shop to build one in and the weather is miserable. Then it hit me.....a Deck Box! Why not? They're big, sturdy, easily cleaned and won't break and crack like the smaller totes after being used for repeated hatchings. Off to Home Depot.
This is a picture of it after lining it with plastic. I don't really think you would need to if it were chickens, but with ducks I really thought it would be a good idea. The measurements are 60" L x 28" H x 26" W.
Here's an inside view of one half of the box,
and here's the other end. These little guys now have plenty of room and I have time to set up a proper area for them in the duck house.
