Brooder pen questions

[Still Bill]

Last March my bro wanted to raise chickens,a few ducks etc..built a pen from a photo i saw from rocker on your site..the 4 foot high x whatever...had a few 2x8s,2x4s etc...was told that chicks had to be raised up to reduce stress..Never got around to wrapping it with wire but i have 3/8 lexan scrap to use...how much circluation do chicks need....drafts...heat retention might be iffy if enclosed but if enclosed 4-6 inches up and and wired up from there?...open top?...would a drop leaf shelf on one side be ok to hold a incubator?...i plan to wire it up for electric so i was thinking 2 for lights,one for incubator,switch?...oh..and the floor..i cleated it to lay in lexan that can be removed for cleaning..Need to build trays..lexan-wood for cleaning?...Would a divider be recommended?..i can fit for age,breed etc..would that help?...and distance on heat lamp...the height is roughly 2 feet...put a center cleat in top to hold light?...thanks for looking

 

[Mtnboomer]

Last March my bro wanted to raise chickens,a few ducks etc..built a pen from a photo i saw from rocker on your site..the 4 foot high x whatever...had a few 2x8s,2x4s etc...was told that chicks had to be raised up to reduce stress..Never got around to wrapping it with wire but i have 3/8 lexan scrap to use...how much circluation do chicks need....drafts...heat retention might be iffy if enclosed but if enclosed 4-6 inches up and and wired up from there?...open top?...would a drop leaf shelf on one side be ok to hold a incubator?...i plan to wire it up for electric so i was thinking 2 for lights,one for incubator,switch?...oh..and the floor..i cleated it to lay in lexan that can be removed for cleaning..Need to build trays..lexan-wood for cleaning?...Would a divider be recommended?..i can fit for age,breed etc..would that help?...and distance on heat lamp...the height is roughly 2 feet...put a center cleat in top to hold light?...thanks for looking

Ducks grow way faster than the chicks. If they are in the same brooder they will need a lot of space or keep divided.
Chicks make A LOT of dust so if you keep them inside be prepared for it to go everywhere
Ducklings stink if their bedding gets wet. They need access to water 24-7 to rinse their bills after feeding which can make a serious mess. Wet food rots quickly and stinks to high heaven so set it up to clean it easily and often.
They both will need heat to stay warm until fledged. I have found the easiest way to prevent having to be so vigilant about the temperature is to hang a light high enough that they can be directly under it when they need but have pkenty of space to move around when they dont. They will find their happy spot. If all the chicks are huddled directly under the light, its too far away. If they are away from the light, its probably too close.
My brooders are open sided and topped wooden frames with 1" plastic mesh on all sides. I keep them in my garage. The dust goes everywhere but otherwise we have not lost a chick yet. Knock on wood.

Since i cant see your set up, hopefully you can take these considerations and adapt them to your design.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I built a large brooder box/grow out pen in my barn, but a garage would suit just as easily.

I incubate 12 at a time. Whatever successfully hatches moves to a roughly 2 sq ft black plastic tote with a heat plate until they are too big for it (typically a few weeks). From there, they move to a space in the back of the shed, about 14 sq ft with a ceramic heat lamp (only on near freezing nights), where they stay until 5-6 weeks. Then they get moved to the barn space (up to 66 sq ft or so, depending on how its configured) and on good weather days, brought to a tractor outside to see the main flock. They stay their till I am comfortable with the thought of integrating flocks 8-10 weeks, size and feathering dependent - a little more for ducks.

The back of the shed is a glorified "sling" made from a large tarp, three edges of which are secured up the wall. I have some poultry netting across the front. In the AM, I open the door to expose the netting to the outside. At night, I close the door. No muss, no fuss.

The Brooder/Grow Out in the barn is PVC and more netting, 4' high. I *HAVE* had birds fly over the top when they get biggish - usually by landing on the top frame, then launching themselves again. Getting them from box to tractor/run and back again is a miserable manual process. I need to move some furniture around in the barn, rebuild the brooder (with a door this time!!!) then add a poultry door to an outside run. That would save me a lot of hassle. And probably take it to 5' high.

The outdoor house and run is a raised house (ducks sleep underneath) of 80 sq ft top floor, inside a 900 sq ft? run. Just built another, larger run, currently building a new house so I can split flocks as needed.