Brooder Ideas For Alternative power

[lena_]

I live on a small farm in New Zealand. However we don't have a constant source of power. This makes it hard rearing things like chicks and quail. I have raised many ducklings successfully using only a hot water bottle. But it comes with losses that I don't want to take with quail and chicks. Our power comes from a generator and solar panels. Currently it is summer in New Zealand, meaning it's nice and warm during the day, but it gets pretty cold at night. We have an eco glow brooder, but that mass murders quail. Last year I hatched button quail, three out of four died to the brooder, leaving one little quail. We raised him under a heat lamp, but it drained the power, and often it'd go out. So any ideas? Someone near me is selling little day old button babies, but I don't have a reliable brooder.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You probably need a more well insulated area for them. The eco-glo is probably your most energy efficient means of brooding with electricity. Would it be possible to heat an area with a wood stove at night?

The Premier 1 heat plates use from 15 to 66 watts per hour depending on their size.

 

[lazy gardener]

A heating pad, depending on the model will draw between 50 and 150 watts which will be of an intermittent nature. If you had a deep cycle car battery, and a power inverter, this might be your best bet. Do some reading on MHP. @Blooie has an article and a thread dedicated to this topic.

 

[Welshies]

Heating pad might be your answer, but some have issues with getting quail to use this. You can raise them in your house, using a hot water bottle, or even a guarded light. 40 watts or 75 watts.