Brooder lamps

I know this forum is for chickens but I figured y'all would be good to ask I'm getting a shipment of ducklings the first week of Dec and I need to set up my brooder. My current ducks were 2 weeks old when I got them and it was the middle of summer and 90 degrees was the low. Totally different ball game now! Anyway I was looking at brooder lamps and the ones at TSC and Walmart are all the same and seem super flimsy and frankly scare me. I was thinking of going with the reptile ones that are a bit heavier but it's 5 1/2 inches in diameter. Will that make a difference? I picked up a 75w infrared bulb on clearance at pet smart to go in it. It's only 4 ducklings and they are going in a large kiddy pool. Honestly I don't see the lamp getting much after these guys. Maybe 3 chicks in the spring and that's about all the room we have. Any input would be great.

I raised baby chicks, brooded with the same type of lamps with ceramic sockets that are sold by TSC. Had hardware cloth frame over brooder and suspended light on a chain above. I preferred the white lights - can measure the temp in brooder and judge more accurately how high to place and upward move the light. later got more experience in watching the girls reactions and used a red light so they could sleep better at nite.

Don't know specifics on temp requirements on ducks, but that's your expertise.

IMO judge the light fixture by the type of material the socket is made from.

sunflour said:

I raised baby chicks, brooded with the same type of lamps with ceramic sockets that are sold by TSC.  Had hardware cloth frame over brooder and suspended light on a chain above.  I preferred the white lights - can measure the temp in brooder and judge more accurately how high to place and upward move the light.  later got more experience in watching the girls reactions and used a red light so they could sleep better at nite.

Don't know specifics on temp requirements on ducks, but that's your expertise.

IMO judge the light fixture by the type of material the socket is made from.

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Thank you. They are both ceramic and I wouldn't use anything less. I wasn't really going to have a cover over the brooder since it's pretty large but was thinking about building something to suspend the light above it. Hmmm... That doesn't sound very safe now that I thought about it.

Not familiar with the temps in Texas, but 75 w isn't very much, I would test it out on your coldest nights before leaving ducks with it as an only heat source. Use 2 different methods to secure your heat lamp for safety reasons. The reptile lamp is meant for indoor use and because of its smaller reflector won't give heat to as large an area ( of ducks). If you are brooding outside, the cover on the brooder will protect the babies as well as keep them in. The brinsea brooders are well liked but are only good to (i think its 59°F) ambient temperatures, so are about useless for me.

needlessjunk said:

Thank you. They are both ceramic and I wouldn't use anything less. I wasn't really going to have a cover over the brooder since it's pretty large but was thinking about building something to suspend the light above it. Hmmm... That doesn't sound very safe now that I thought about it.

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Don't know how high ducklings can jump/fly…but my brooder was over 2 feet tall and without a wire cover my chicks could have escaped when just a few weeks old. Also, I think the 1/2 " wire protected them from things getting in and a safety catcher in case the suspended light dropped. I think you would be better off with the traditional brooder lamps and good advice from Trefoil. Good luck with your babies.

sunflour said:

Don't know how high ducklings can jump/fly…but my brooder was over 2 feet tall and without a wire cover my chicks could have escaped when just a few weeks old.  Also, I think the 1/2 " wire protected them from things getting in and a safety catcher in case the suspended light dropped.   I think you would be better off with the traditional brooder lamps and good advice from Trefoil.  Good luck with your babies.

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Ducks can't jump/fly very well at all, lol. They are like little rocks with wings. The sides are 2 feet tall, maybe a bit more. I was going to line it with wire just in case someone got some air and to keep my kids and dogs from running up to them. I may cover 1/2 with wire so there is some protection in just in case. They will be in the garage and if temps get back to normal it will be about 55 degrees in there for the air temp. The average for this time of year is in the 70's during the day.

I would lay a scrap piece of a board, like a 2X 4 across the top so dogs won't knock it off.

Gee, I thought ducks could fly a lot better than chickens, guess that's when the are grown, or just certain types?

sunflour said:

I would lay a scrap piece of a board, like a 2X 4 across the top so dogs won't knock it off.

Gee, I thought ducks could fly a lot better than chickens, guess that's when the are grown, or just certain types?

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Only some breeds can fly. call ducks, mallard And Muscovy can fly. The rest are pretty much grounded. My pekins try to fly and all of us crack up watching them. The run around flapping their wings and can clear about 1 inch if they jump. A few odd ducks will be able to clean a foot or two but that's about it. Thank you for the ideas. Now I need to actually get started and have it all set up before they get here. I plan on them being inside the house most when we are home and just in the garage for sleeping of when we leave.