Brooder

[DanceswLabs]

I am incubating Indian Runner eggs, and I am getting together items to make a brooder for the blessed event. I would love to see pictures of BYC brooders if any of you would like to share. THANKS!
Jeany

 

[kingpincray]

SOrry jeany it took a while.

This is my brooder set up. I use only a normal 60w light bulb and a wire netting with tray underneath to catch as much water as possible to keep the brooder dry. it is working well so far.

 

[DanceswLabs]

I like your box house! And you babies are adorable. I am in lockdown today. The eggs have been rocking since Friday evening. No external pips yet. And I think I just heard a peep!

 

[CityChicker]

Any number of things can work. This year, since we had such frequent hatches (we hatched a couple times a week for most of Spring and half Summer, rather than 1-2 times a month that we typically do). Because we needed so many different brooders due to size differences (also have Calls, Bantam ducks, and Large Fowl ducks which vary tremendously in size), we used rubbermaid containers pretty extensively with usually 8-10 brooders going at once. In some of them we used wire floors and in some we used towels or various beddings (wood chips, shredded paper, etc...).

You can use several different things for heat as well. We use some incandescent bulbs, fairly frequently use heat bulbs, and this year also tried ceramic heat bulbs. All work and have pluses and minuses. As the other poster shows, we do also use water porches. Definitely though, you should never use flat newspapers in the brooder. That can cause spraddle leg because it is too slick for the ducklings to stand as upright as optimal. Some will do fine on newspaper, others won't. You can use shredded paper or pelleted paper though. Anyway, it is all just personal preference. As you can see, we have raised ducks several years and don't always use the same thing. It just depends on how many ducklings we have and where we are brooding them. One of my favorite things to use though when we have just a few ducklings is towels, which have to be changed at least once daily (twice as they get older). They are pretty easy to use and keep the ducklings dry. We just use those in rubbermaid containers with water porches and heat lights of some sort hung well above the cages. Works great! HTH.

 

[kingpincray]

Thanks for your concern and warning about the newspaper. I start them off on paper towel and after they run around I switch to newspaper and with the amount of deposits they make on them, I don't seem to have problem with spraddle legs with them.

The plus side of newspaper is that its free. with smaller chicks I add a layer of wire netting on top of the newspaper and that work very well too.

 

[DanceswLabs]

Thanks for all the great information! I am so excited about these babies.

 

[duckluck]

I use a stackable battery brooder...I have an antique Brower that is my bread and butter for newborns, but I could be a lot happier with the new stack unit of Browers. Wouldn't use the water bottle for ducklings at all, BIG mess/flood in the pans. One big plus about the battery brooders for ducklings is, it does keep them dry and clean. You have to use towels over the wire for almost a week for baby Calls though, due to their tiny feet.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

Thanks for the idea of the box! I had one in my brooder for my baby that died, but not flipped upside down. I just hope my 5 going into lock down next week will make it to hatching. Still sad about my baby I lost.

So hope I can share with you all exciting news next week.

 

[DanceswLabs]

I am so sorry to hear about your duckling. I was following your posts and pulling for you.