Will this work as Hatcher / Brooder???

[hailstorm97]

It keeps pretty warm in there

 

[Isaac 0]

It's a huge rubbermaid. I've seen people use 20 gal aquariums as hatchers brooders. I guess it would help to mention I'm raising Coturnix Quail so they will be very small. Also only a dozen fertile by day 7. I'm also switching to a red light bulb.

Oh its quail?The space should be fine.Good a red heat lamp will be better.Have fun raising them.

 

[WVduckchick]

Sweet! Good luck! Quail are fun to watch hatch.

 

[yellowherb]

I use a 3 ft long clear plastic bin with a 40watt desk lamp. Wood shavings on the bottom and I have a mama heating pad set up in there too for the chicks who want dark and want to feel like they are under mom's wings. This has worked for button quail, coturnix and chickens. I use the bin cover on the brooder since I keep them inside the house in the A/C. The bin box has some holes drilled in the side for ventilation and I also have a 6" square cut out of the lid with a plastic mesh taped in for even more ventilation.

Light bulbs are changing and it's getting hard to find a true 40watt bulb. We have been having to go with 60watts which equates to the power usage of 36 or 38 (can't recall off the top of my head). It's slightly cooler than the true old 40watts but they have the heating pad cave for backup.

Be very careful with how high wattage of a bulb you use with the little bin box. While your setup is taller than mine I have used a slightly larger bin box like yours. We had to enclose it more to keep the quail warm enough with the desk lamp.


this is mine without the lid. I slide the lid up to the clip on the light and it's good to go. Forgive the mess, just put the chicks outside yesterday and was too busy to clean the brooder today.

 

[3riverschick]

It's a huge rubbermaid. I've seen people use 20 gal aquariums as hatchers brooders. I guess it would help to mention I'm raising Coturnix Quail so they will be very small. Also only a dozen fertile by day 7. I'm also switching to a red light bulb.

I suspect you will cook this chick with a red light 250 bulb. Incandescents and red heat bulbs don't work the same way. Red 250's are heat bulbs. They are deigned to heat objects in their realm of light. Incandescents simply throw off heat as a result of them being on and things in their realm of light get warm as a result. Use a 65 to 85 watt incandescent for this brooder. Remember it's a rubber tub and the tub itself will get warm and help hold in the heat. Esp. watch them if you decide to cover 1/2 the top with an impenetrable cover thru which heat cannot escape. That can cause the brooder to get hotter than you thought it was. Don't use cloth tho, too much chance of fire.
Best,
Kaen

 

[hailstorm97]

I suspect you will cook this chick with a red light 250 bulb. Incandescents and red heat bulbs don't work the same way. Red 250's are heat bulbs. They are deigned to heat objects in their realm of light. Incandescents simply throw off heat as a result of them being on and things in their realm of light get warm as a result. Use a 65 to 85 watt incandescent for this brooder. Remember it's a rubber tub and the tub itself will get warm and help hold in the heat. Esp. watch them if you decide to cover 1/2 the top with an impenetrable cover thru which heat cannot escape.  That can cause the brooder to get hotter than you thought it was.  Don't use cloth tho, too much chance of fire.
 Best,
 Kaen

Relax. I know the bulb that I'm supposed to get that wont cook them alive(I've measured). And I wasn't talking about just going out and purchasing any red light bulb. I've purchased them before for my other animals that need a basking light- I may have never had chicks but the heat lamp I am using now I have used on a lot smaller of cages in my reptile room. Trust me, if it wont cook a frog,it wont cook a chick. Plus I've read all over the place that chicks do not like white light, and that red is healthier for them. I also can measure the heat source output of the light with a double probed thermometer that will measure the hottest side of the box and the coolest.

 

[WVduckchick]

Omg I'm so ecstatic right now I can't believe it is finally happening!

So excited for you!

 

[aart]

I HEAR A CHIRP! Some tapping/ pecking too! A few wobbles.

This gave me a BIG grin!!
Never forget my first hatch and hearing an internal pip cheep.....
......my jaw literally dropped so far and fast it hurt a little.

Are you using a red reptile incandescent bulb for heat?
I found those to be very good for indoor brooding, and using a dimmer extension cord to adjust heat output worked really slick, no screwing around with moving the light up and down.

 

[hailstorm97]

Yes a healthy 7 so far!!! I could not have asked for a better outcome, I am soo happy

I used incandescent blacklight reptile bulb. It pretty much produces no light and just heat. They seem to love it

 

[aart]

........

Question to BYC-
When is it time to trim their beaks? They're all really amiable with each other but I still want to try to prevent any future aggression. Do I just trim the tip of the upper part of the beak that slightly starts to overhang?

No need to trim beaks.....it won't prevent aggression.....it only might keep aggression from drawing blood, and could cause other problems.
The way to prevent aggressive behavior and/or from it becoming extreme or causing injury by providing ample space.
They will outgrow that cage pretty quickly, hope you have some larger ready to go.