A less messy brooder?

[ShouldabeenaVET]

I had ducks once,,, I have never seen such a mess. They will try and get IN your waterer. They were great fun but be emotionally prepared. Good Luck

 

[Knighstar679]

Well, you need to remember, it is the length times width that determines space, so a 40 gallon tote won't last long.
I had 4 in a tote, maybe not 40 gallon, but what I thought was big. I got them at a week old. By the end of the week they were in a very large kiddie pool brooder. I felt that was too small after they got used to it those first few days.

I have a dog pen coming for them when they out grow the totes. It is 4x4 and 2 foot tall it should last them a bit. Or at least long enough for me to finish my duck house.

I have been working on cleaning it out and making notes on what needs to be done before ducks get into it. Better ventilation is a must for sure. It is a nice little hoop house. 9.5 foot by 27 I figured it up I could house 60 ducks in it @_@. So after I get it set it should be nice.

 

[Knighstar679]

I wish you had done all of this a month ago so I could have copied You have several nice features. It was all a learning experience with for me from day 1. Soon2BeChixMom is right...they are messy Cat litter idea I love...Im doing that next time. I used a baking sheet under my waterer. It helped some.

I am certain they are going to be messy. I just wanted to cut down on it a bit at first.

I am keeping myself busy planning things for them because if I don’t I would want to sit there with a flashlight and watch the eggs all the time.

Thus the frankstein ideas for the brooder and soon the duck pen!

 

[MyChickenShack]

Please post pics of duck house when you are done...I am still not sure about what to do with that...mine sleep in a cage that my husband made, but during day, I bring them out into a caged area that I put up temporarily with a kiddie pool. They stay there all day until bed time. I am trying to get my chickens used to them safely before letting them out on there own. I want my husband to build them a shelter to get out of the elements when I let them out but still researching ideas. Would love to see what you come up with.

 

[Knighstar679]

Please post pics of duck house when you are done...I am still not sure about what to do with that...mine sleep in a cage that my husband made, but during day, I bring them out into a caged area that I put up temporarily with a kiddie pool. They stay there all day until bed time. I am trying to get my chickens used to them safely before letting them out on there own. I want my husband to build them a shelter to get out of the elements when I let them out but still researching ideas. Would love to see what you come up with.

When I moved onto my property I was lucky and had three existing buildings here. I choose the biggest one to be the house for my ducks. It is also the one farthest away from the house so that I can make the duck pen as big as I like with out hitting anything important like propane, or water lines.

Basically the guy just used PVC pipe and a very big tarp with some wood to make this rounded building. I will show you what it looks like tomorrow when I get a chance to go out there and work inside again. It isn't very pretty but it is functional. it even has some insulation in the ceiling to keep some of the heat in.

 

[WVduckchick]

I will bet they will hate the dark colored tote. When you reach in, they will likely scatter like roaches.
If you have to get any more, try the clear ones.

 

[Knighstar679]

I will bet they will hate the dark colored tote. When you reach in, they will likely scatter like roaches.
If you have to get any more, try the clear ones.

My next size brooder is going to be a dog x-pen so there will be open sides until I put something there. It will be 4x4 and should be good for a little while with my little ducklings. Just trying to figure out where to put it and what to put under it.

 

[MyChickenShack]

When I moved onto my property I was lucky and had three existing buildings here. I choose the biggest one to be the house for my ducks. It is also the one farthest away from the house so that I can make the duck pen as big as I like with out hitting anything important like propane, or water lines.

Basically the guy just used PVC pipe and a very big tarp with some wood to make this rounded building. I will show you what it looks like tomorrow when I get a chance to go out there and work inside again. It isn't very pretty but it is functional. it even has some insulation in the ceiling to keep some of the heat in.

Thanks! Cant wait to see it!

 

[Knighstar679]

Thanks! Cant wait to see it!

You can see what I am working with in the link below.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-house-and-run-help.1258120/

I can use all the help and advice I can get on it. Let me know what you think.

 

[jmoschner]

My next size brooder is going to be a dog x-pen so there will be open sides until I put something there. It will be 4x4 and should be good for a little while with my little ducklings. Just trying to figure out where to put it and what to put under it.

We did something like that for our ducklings (see attached pic). I stitched together a covering for the back and sides that uses velcro straps to attach to the cage. There is another matching cloth that can cover the front if need be (I used it once). The flooring is sand and shelf liner. Their food and water is normally on a tray, but I was washing it at the time so their food is just sitting in there all willy-nilly in the pic. The heat lamp is attached to a tripod that can be raised and lowered with a small crank on the side.