Brooder temp and set up

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Static5152

In the Brooder
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Hi my name is Rob and I just got baby chick's and baby ducks. I have posted my brooder set up and was wanting to know if it looks right or if the heat lamp is too close. I live in Mississippi and the temp changes often. Pls help!
 

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Hello Rob, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.

Totes are notoriously difficult to have good temperature conditions in due to the lack of cross ventilation.
A brooder plate would be much better than a lamp.
You need a larger brooder. Especially with the ducklings in there.
Monitor the chicks/ducklings behavior. If they are actively moving around, they are fine. If they are panting and trying to get away from the heat, raise the lamp.
If they are vocalizing, they are chilled. Lower the lamp a small amount.
Try to have one end of the brooder as close to ambient temps as possible and keep the food and water at that end.
 
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They're so cute! I only see a few in there which is good because to me, that's about a 2 or 3 day temporary brooder. You definitely want more room aa top, raise up water and feed out of shavings, a better way to regulate heat whether you use a lamp or heat plate/pad. High heat warm up is good for the first day but after that high heat is a killer. Lamps create the dangerous high heat, not plates so alot of people such as myself prefer plates (actually I use a heating pad for the first week indoors and then a plate in my outdoor brooder. Use a thermometer to know what temps you have in there but also watch behavior. Enjoy reading about raising baby ducks and chicks here on BYC, this place has all the info. you need. Good Luck!
 
:welcome

Hi, I can't tell by the pictures, but if you have both ducklings and chicks in the same brooder, I recommend giving each their own space. Ducklings are notoriously messy with their water and chicks shouldn't be kept in a wet environment. Good luck to you, keep us posted on how things are going!
 
Hiya, and welcome to BYC! :frow

If they are happy and surviving, that's the important thing, but food/water shouldn't be under the heat.

Also, the ducklings soon will make the floor sopping wet, which then becomes a breeding ground for coccidiosis.

They're going to outgrow that fast anyway, so maybe a pet playpen or two would work. Those are very ventilated too.
 

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