I just took the plunge - 10 Muscovies coming in April!

[Kaessa]

...They outgrow the kiddie pool really fast...

Good luck with your new babies!!!

I had no idea the little guys grew so fast.

I'm in trouble, aren't I.

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

But what a wonderful kind of trouble it is!!

 

[PotatoWaffles]

We start by brooding in a large storage tub. It keeps the heat in nicely, and you can put it just about anywhere. Ducks are social, and like company, so usually, the brooder ends up in the living room. The top has two large holes cut in the top to which we attached hardware cloth, and a third in the front so that the babies can see us. I made a base out of scrap wood, and screwed the tub onto it. The brooder set up and awaiting a new hatch In about a week, the ducklings will outgrow the brooder, but can tolerate a little cooler temperature, so we transfer them to a large kiddie pool. We run hardware cloth around the outside to keep them in, and give them an area with a heat lamp that they can use as needed. They will outgrow that quickly as well, and at 2 weeks we take them outside during the day to forage and get accustomed to the weather. As soon as they start to feather in, they go outside with access to a heat lamp, so they can warm up if they need it. ...They outgrow the kiddie pool really fast... Good luck with your new babies!!!

I thought about doing something like that with a tote, but I don't know how to make one. I need something that's cat proof. I'm going to try and keep our two cats and future ducklings in separate rooms, but these cats are crafty little buggers. I think I'm going to try using my old chinchilla cage that has high solid walls with wire mesh openings that are too small for kitty paws to fit through, but they'll only be able to fit in that for a week or two at most. I've got two weeks before the ducklings arrive so I'm still brainstorming, lol.

 

[buff goose guy]

Amazing ducks, we have had them for 10 years. Our first mother duck is still alive and approaching her 10 to 14 th birthday, when we got her and the babies she had been an expierenced mother and the farmer had hatched several clutches from her before.

We have trained our males and females to perch on our arms so its always fun haveing them around

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

We had 4 kittens and 3 adult cats when we incubated our babies. A closed room for the babies when they reach kiddie pool size is fine.

I used a carpet knife to cut my holes in the storage tub. They are surprisingly easy to get through. My daughter uses as small coping saw (we use storage totes as nest boxes as well). I've also used a Dremel with a cutoff wheel. I cut stiff hardware cloth using a scissors (1/4" hole - cats can't get through at all) to about an inch larger than the hole. I then cut two small strips of wood (around 1" X 1" works great to the same length as the hardware cloth, 2 for each piece. Then I sandwich the hardware cloth between the wood strips and the holes in the plastic totes. From the outside of the lid and the brooder box, I run short screws (1/2" for 1" thick wood strips) through the layer of plastic, hardware cloth, and wood. The wood strips hold the screening securely in place, and protect the babies from the sharp screw points. You don't need to use a stand, I just put one together for added cat protection. I have laying quail in a clear tub in my kitchen at the moment with a simple hardware cloth lid and the cats don't bother them.
As the babies get bigger, the cats will be less and less of an issue. My Saxony duck hen is currently nesting in a storage tote in my bathroom. The cats know better than to go near her, and she weighs more than the kittens... The bigger cats simply step around the ducks on the porch when they go out...


The baby ducks actually followed this kitten around inside the tub. It was a mutual curiosity thing... (storage tubs are also great for putting the babies in while you clean out the brooder or kiddie pool)

If you want, I can take some close up pictures of how I put the brooder together. It's not in use until April, so I won't be disturbing anybody by pulling off the lid and sticking a camera inside!

 

[PotatoWaffles]

You don't have to if its too much trouble, but I appreciate the photos and explanation =] it looks like it works really well

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

No problem!!

Sorry about the dust - it's been on vacation for the past few months!!



I made a wood frame for the front, and sandwiched the screen between the wood and the tub. It only really needs two pieces, but I made the frame so that it would look better. I put the duct tape around the edges so that it would look neater - it has absolutely no real function!

This is the same area from the inside - with the screen sandwiched in, there are no sharp edges exposed that might hurt the chicks



I ground down the ares where the screws were, again to make sure there were no exposed sharp edges



The finished front assembly



The top of the lid. I hold the heat lamp off of the plastic by placing the edges of the housing on boards wrapped in tinfoil. You can see the hole where I wasn't paying attention and let the heat lamp sit on the plastic for a few seconds. You can see the screws running through the top of the lid, through the wire, and into the wood.



The inside of the lid. (As you can see, one of the cats is now "helping" me take pictures..) The screws are buried into the wood, and I also ground the edges down on the inside, just to be sure.



The inside of the lid (minus the cat!)


The unit in use with 2 day old quail


...With pheasants...


...And of course, ducks!

It's really a workhorse for me, and literally cost me the price of the tote (I had scrap wood and wire hanging around already) I kept it in use from late March through September, pretty much non stop! It'll get disinfected and put back to work again in another couple of months when I start using my incubator for the season!

 

[Miss Lydia]

No problem!!

Sorry about the dust - it's been on vacation for the past few months!!



I made a wood frame for the front, and sandwiched the screen between the wood and the tub. It only really needs two pieces, but I made the frame so that it would look better. I put the duct tape around the edges so that it would look neater - it has absolutely no real function!

This is the same area from the inside - with the screen sandwiched in, there are no sharp edges exposed that might hurt the chicks



I ground down the ares where the screws were, again to make sure there were no exposed sharp edges



The finished front assembly



The top of the lid. I hold the heat lamp off of the plastic by placing the edges of the housing on boards wrapped in tinfoil. You can see the hole where I wasn't paying attention and let the heat lamp sit on the plastic for a few seconds. You can see the screws running through the top of the lid, through the wire, and into the wood.



The inside of the lid. (As you can see, one of the cats is now "helping" me take pictures..) The screws are buried into the wood, and I also ground the edges down on the inside, just to be sure.



The inside of the lid (minus the cat!)


The unit in use with 2 day old quail


...With pheasants...


...And of course, ducks!

It's really a workhorse for me, and literally cost me the price of the tote (I had scrap wood and wire hanging around already) I kept it in use from late March through September, pretty much non stop! It'll get disinfected and put back to work again in another couple of months when I start using my incubator for the season!

Nice setup.

 

[PotatoWaffles]

That's so genius! Maybe I can talk my fiancé into helping me make one ;] do you put the heat lamp over top shining through one of the grates, or inside?

And omg those baby quails and pheasant! So cute!!!

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

The heat lamp goes on top over one of the screens. I raise it up so it's not sitting directly on the screen or the plastic. I use tinfoil wrapped 2 X 4s, and add more each week to raise the lamp up higher, dropping the temperature in the brooder over time.