Heating your brooder?

[indianaducks]

I've just used heat lamps and raised them each week. I keep a chicken wire/hardware cloth "lid" on my brooders so that the heat lamp can't fall into the brooder and catch shavings on fire or smoosh ducklings. I keep the brooders in my garage and its heated so I also slowly change the garage heat temp as well. Usually within about 3 weeks, I remove the heat lamp entirely from the ducklings and they are fine with just the heated garage set to 70-75 and slowly lowered. That being said, I'm also brooding (separately) chicks and turkeys this year so I'm still figuring out the optimal temp.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chicks and poults will need heat about 3 weeks longer than ducklings.

 

[Acre4Me]

I nearly always use a heat plate only. One half adjusted lower than the other- so everyone finds right spot. They need to be able to touch it with their backs. When we get chicks in Feb, it can still be quite cold. So, we often also have a heat lamp on for extra heat in more of the brooder for the first 2-3 weeks. But, without an additional heat lamp, you can also get a lot of mileage from covering part of the brooder with a towel/sheet, cardboard to eliminate drafts and keep in any extra warmth from the heat plate. Our brooder is solid walls and bottom, with hinged wire mesh lids.

 

[Blooie]

i just use Mama Heating Pad and have for 7 years now, every batch, every time. I raise them outside in a wire pen in the run. The adults can walk around them on 3 sides. The chicks have mostly weaned themselves off heat by 3 weeks and I have total and peaceful integration with the flock at 4 weeks, at which time the brooder pen is completely removed.

I live in Northwestern Wyoming, where our springtime “chick season” temps are still in the 20s and can dip into the teens. We can get snow as late as June and as early as August/September. I’ve never lost a chick to cold.

 

[specTONKular]

Thank you all for your advice