Brooder light for ducklings

[HMSmith]

Hello,
I’m a very new duckling owner and have a question about lighting in the brooder. My brooder will be indoors.. in my entry way. Not super keen on the idea of the smell but I’ve wanted ducks for 2 yrs now so it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Anyways, I plan on using a ceramic bulb heater for my 4 ducklings so my question is, does the light from the the heat bulb serve a purpose? I will leave the light on in my entry way during the day so they will have light, in hopes of getting them on a light schedule and will be turning it off at night.
I know they need heat at all times but I don’t want to run a heat light because I’d like them to get use to “sun up” and “sun down”.
Any advice on what wattage to use is appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[Jpat]

Hey there welcome to the forums.

Good thaughts on the day night pattern i agree with that i doo the same

They are better in complete darkness at night and are usualy quieter

I usea 65 watt ceramic bulb because ive tried a 25 and it wasnt enough heat

One thing thats been a god send to me is an inline dimmer switch. That way i can use a hotter bulb but tune it to exactly what i need without trying to find the perfect height.

Mine was 10$ from canadian tire

 

[Jpat]

Just too add

Pine shavings help alot with smell but should bebused once they are a few days old

and what kind of ducks sre you getting??

 

[HMSmith]

Awesome! Thank you.
As far as pine shavings, I was hoping it’d help with the smell. I’ll be getting Ancona.

 

[Jpat]

Awesome! Thank you.
As far as pine shavings, I was hoping it’d help with the smell. I’ll be getting Ancona.

Awesome their so cute!

i use towells for the first few days because they cant eat it and wont slip under their feet. slippry surfaces can cause injuries

 

[ChickNanny13]

You may want to consider the MHP (article by Blooie); heating pad for warmth and no light. You may also consider potty pads, the human disposable bed pads cheaper & work just as well. It's absorbent. You could put it under some shavings, may help with smell.

 

[HMSmith]

I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you!

 

[CountryFried]

I highly recommend the mama heating pad. I have mine plugged into an energy monitor and it’s used less than a kWh in ~36 hours. My heat bulb was costing me $2-3/day in 2010.

 

[chickens really]

I use a red 175 watt heat bulb and heat only half the Brooder. Red light doesn't disturb night and day sleeping pattern. Pine shavings work great for smell. Margarine container with a hole cut in the lid makes a less water mess container for Ducklings waterer..

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC! Have you considered using a heating plate? That's what I use and I love them.

• https://www.brinsea.com/p-381-ecoglow-50-chick-brooder.aspx
  
• https://www.premier1supplies.com/c/...erm=brooder heater&utm_content=Brooder Heater