Crib Brooder

[Dogface208]

I'm getting my first birds (Welsh harlequins) in just a couple days and I wanted to share the brooder my DH and I built! Used cribs can get pretty cheap and I got mine for free.
I caulked all the cracks, painted, then put a few layers of polyurethane to make cleanup easier. I'm planning on making a wooly hen tomorrow to add in, but also have a brooder heater thing coming just in case. Anyone ever use a wooly hen with ducks before?
Thanks for looking!

 

[sunflour]

Love it, great job. What are you planning to place on the front or is that glass?

No idea what a wooly hen is? Can you show an example?

I have brooded only chicks, wondering what age do you need to add a tiny pond?

 

[Acre4Me]

Looks great! Since cribs of certain ages can no longer be sold (or re-sold), they can easily be free. This is similar to when people re-purpose the outdoor play structures into chicken coops!

You could even add a base to the bottom of yours with wheels underneath, then you would have a storage shelf and an easy way to move it around for cleaning. Great idea on using a polyurethane protectant to make cleaning the inside much easier!

 

[Dogface208]

Love it, great job. What are you planning to place on the front or is that glass?

No idea what a wooly hen is? Can you show an example?

I have brooded only chicks, wondering what age do you need to add a tiny pond?

There is plexi in place so we can see the little ones.

A wooly hen is basically a box or insulated box with wool strips hanging from the top that imitates a broody hen. You don't need extra heat because it works by trapping the body heat from chicks, the chicks are weaned off heat faster/feather out faster, and they are quiet because there isnt a bright light on them 24/7. There are a few threads on here about them if you search.

I think it's about a week old you can start taking trips to the tub for supervised wading. They can't be left unattended until they are fully feathered and oily.

 

[Dogface208]

Looks great! Since cribs of certain ages can no longer be sold (or re-sold), they can easily be free. This is similar to when people re-purpose the outdoor play structures into chicken coops!

You could even add a base to the bottom of yours with wheels underneath, then you would have a storage shelf and an easy way to move it around for cleaning. Great idea on using a polyurethane protectant to make cleaning the inside much easier!

Thanks! I thought about making the bottom hardware cloth with pullout trays for cleaning, but decided against it. Once I know what I'm doing I may do something like add a shelf for essentials.

 

[sannabelle]

That is awesome!!! Similar to my outdoor brooders we made out of shipping crates.

Sounds like you’ve done all your research and you’re going to be a great duck parent!!

 

[Dogface208]

That is awesome!!! Similar to my outdoor brooders we made out of shipping crates.

Sounds like you’ve done all your research and you’re going to be a great duck parent!!

Thanks! FINGERS CROSSED!

 

[Catwest]

I love it!! It’s gorgeous! And so roomy!

 

[Kiki]

Awesome!