Hens go broody when you don’t want them to… and won’t go broody when you do. 
Hello, I had a question and wasn't sure where to place it - Here or Chicken area.
I have some chickens and a duck (i tried getting him a friend but all of the farm stores are done with ducks and no one is selling ducklings).
He loves his chick friends. Following them around, snuggling under their feathers / wings.
But my duckling couldn't be more than 1 week old and the chicks are about 3 weeks old now. They used the light in the brooder for about 4 days but the chicks thought it was too hot for what the duckling needed and kept moving away from the light. Well the duckling at the time was attached to the chicks so he would walk to the cool side as well and sleep snuggled under a wing or between them.
Well now everyone is too hot, even when I have it on and raised SUPER high and it only changed the temp by 5 degrees from the room temp. They don't like it on at all anymore, even the duck. It is a nice sized brooder. A lot of room. A warm side and a cool side like house temp. Well today my dad thought about just turning it off. So we did. They love it so much better without the lamp now. They are in the house in the kitchen / laundry area so the dish washer running and dryer running all day keep that room warm. Whenever I turn it on now within 3 minutes they are all smooshed to the cool side not moving an inch. But when I turn it off they run about the whole brooder, comfortable, eating, drinking, (swimming), ect.
I will keep an eye at night time, if they need the light (as we don't use a heater in our house so it cools down a lot at night) but during the day I do not think I will use the heat lamp anymore as they don't need it.
I was curious if anyone else had chicks / ducklings they only used a heat lamp for a sort time for? I just found it strange as all I read and have seen before is people having the light on them for weeks and weeks before turning it off at all.
I have some chickens and a duck (i tried getting him a friend but all of the farm stores are done with ducks and no one is selling ducklings).
He loves his chick friends. Following them around, snuggling under their feathers / wings.
But my duckling couldn't be more than 1 week old and the chicks are about 3 weeks old now. They used the light in the brooder for about 4 days but the chicks thought it was too hot for what the duckling needed and kept moving away from the light. Well the duckling at the time was attached to the chicks so he would walk to the cool side as well and sleep snuggled under a wing or between them.
Well now everyone is too hot, even when I have it on and raised SUPER high and it only changed the temp by 5 degrees from the room temp. They don't like it on at all anymore, even the duck. It is a nice sized brooder. A lot of room. A warm side and a cool side like house temp. Well today my dad thought about just turning it off. So we did. They love it so much better without the lamp now. They are in the house in the kitchen / laundry area so the dish washer running and dryer running all day keep that room warm. Whenever I turn it on now within 3 minutes they are all smooshed to the cool side not moving an inch. But when I turn it off they run about the whole brooder, comfortable, eating, drinking, (swimming), ect.
I will keep an eye at night time, if they need the light (as we don't use a heater in our house so it cools down a lot at night) but during the day I do not think I will use the heat lamp anymore as they don't need it.
I was curious if anyone else had chicks / ducklings they only used a heat lamp for a sort time for? I just found it strange as all I read and have seen before is people having the light on them for weeks and weeks before turning it off at all.
