Ducking Brooder Plan (input/suggestions wanted)

[Bleenie]

I Really need a new brooder for the ducklings so i have decided to build one to replace the wooden box i have been using. This was just a quick 'sketch' i did in Paint, pretty basic idea. I think it'll be about 3ft tall & the walls will have to be at least 2ft tall but the other dimensions (Length and Width)will depend on where i put it. the top/lid will be wire with a sturdy frame & hinged to the back so that it will open for easy access for feeding/water/cleaning etc. The heat light will be attached to the wire to avoid having it fall or anything.

ETA: I was thinking of lining the inside, and a few inches up the wall, with linoleum but i am worried about the heat being on it and fumes and such.

I'm just looking for input or suggestions. Thanks everyone.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Looks good to me Bleenie- I always prefer a raised brooder off the floor. Do you have any of the wood or materials yet?? If not just try to stay away from asing chipboard or anything that might swell and absorb moisture.

 

[CityChicker]

That is actually identical to how we use to do our brooders and I am building some new ones like that this year. The only difference is that we do not do tops of any kind on ours. It is usually not necessary (in my opinion) because ducks typically won't jump over it (certainly not before they are moved outside full time) and we have them indoors until then so predators are not an issue. We have used both tile and wire floors. I am still undecided on which I will use on our new brooders. On some of our last ones, we used stick on tiles and they were fine. I really want to do something up the sides this time as well. I think as long as the bulb is far enough away, it should be fine (18" or so?).

 

[Bleenie]

I have a lot of plywood i can use. i kind of HATE chip/press/particleboard anymore. we used to to build our big chicken coop and its just downright ugly. I really wanna take the building apart and use the wood for something else.

 

[Bleenie]

My Muscovy ducklings must be weirdos because they really like to jump up onto stuff and im sure i'd have a bunch of retarded or hurt ducklings if i didnt put a top on it. plus, it'll probably be in an outside shed. we had a SERIOUS rat problem in the shed last year, like freaky chinchilla sized rats..i might be exagerrating a bit here but those things looked enormous and scared the crap out of me. the cat wouldnt even get them. i wrecked their nest and they never came back. now that im thinkign about it they might have been young coons or something. either way i hate wild rodents

i got the heebie jeebies thinking about thsoe things now.

 

[katharinad]

I've build one myself too. Basically the same concept. I used a wooden shipping crate (26"x37"), which was only 1 foot high. So I've build a frame from spare plywood to go on top of it to get the 2 feet I wanted. The bottom part I lined with a plastic vinyl sheet you would use for covering windows. I've bought this at home depot in the painters isle, so it was really cheap. Get the heavy duty version. I've duct taped it so there are no open edges. For the top I've used two doors from my dog crates. I've 3 crates and they are basically sitting around doing nothing. Plus I can later use the doors with the crates again. In the center is a piece of wood keeping it all together. The plus point of this is that I have the lamp on one side and the other side I use as an access point. This works vice versa. Also with two feet you do not need a heat lamp. A 100 watt bulb will give you 90 degrees on the floor. 20 watts in each direction give you 5 degrees. You can also put in a dimmer switch to control the heat, if you choose to stick to one bulb for the entire thing. In a test run with a thermometer you can mark 5 degree intervals on the dimmer. BTW 100 watts are not hot enough to melt the plastic or get bedding on fire with the 2 feet of airspace. For the inside I laid down a dog training pad. These are really cheap at walmart. They prevent slickness of the floor and are easily exchanged daily. They also neutralize odor somewhat. Much better then paper. You may take their sizes in consideration when building the box from scratch. Walmart carries 2 sizes and your box should be 2 inches less then their size. Trust me on that one. Under the lamp I did lay down a folded cotton towel for them to sleep on. This has added benefit that it keeps them also warm from below. I change it daily or as needed. In the other corner I have a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and on top the water and food. Any spillage will stay on the cookie sheet and keep the ducks feed dry in the rest of the pen. I do not provide any swimming option in the crate. Also keep the food in one corner. They will play and run around as they grow, and knock anything over that is in their way. Quite hilarious to watch.
Katharina

 

[katharinad]

Quote:
I would have done the same, but I just don't trust my cat.
Katharina

 

[Bleenie]

Well i had planned on using a heat light for the brooder, that's why i was worried about the heat. I have a red heat bulb over my current brooder(about 2ft high) and none of the ducklings sit under the light, usually about a few inches past the rim of the light cover(looking straight down). I have easy access to new, scrap linoleum. my father is head of maintainence at an apartment complex and the carpet/lino guys usually give him any scraps if he needs anything, even huge scraps since they just toss whats leftover after a job(wasteful i know!). I was just worried about the heat causing fumes from the glue under the linoleum. I can definitely still duct tape the top edges after i set it all.

CityChicker,
did the peel & stick tiles lift at all, from the moisture & mess the ducks cause? we had this stuff in our house once and right in front of the kitchen sink lifted up and we always had to fix it.

 

[katharinad]

That means the heat lamp was to hot for the ducks. I had a 250 watt red heat lamp over it for the quails I just hatched. That one I had to raise, because it was too warm. But quails do need a higher temp to start with. Ducks don't need a red lamp, like quails do. Ive read that a blue light is even better for ducks. I've raised ducks under a regular white household lamp twice. No problems at all. So a regular bulb will work just fine. If you have linoleum go for it. I bet it looks nice and is functional. They do have glues that emit less oder, ask at the hardware store for it. I would also seal the edges with a good caulk.
Katharina

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

What are you making the floor out of?