Help!

[misscarianne]

I have ducklings in brooder in my (un air conditioned) shop. I don't know if I need to use the heat lamp during the day. It's been getting up to 80-88 degrees outside lately and it gets very hot inside the shop. I've been opening the doors and raising the heat lamp as high as I can reach, but sometimes I have to put a fan on to cool the air (not directly on my ducklings). The temp in the brooder still reaches up to 90degrees at times. Is this too hot? The ducklings are 3-5 days old. Can I turn off lamp during the day, or are they too young?

 

[Zombified]

I try to keep one side of our brooder at 90 degrees F. Higher than that, and my two week old gets too hot. Sometimes it goes down to 88, but the little ones(who are, um... six days old I think) don't mind. I actually just raised our lamp, since they can handle it being a little less hot.

As long as one side is at 90 degrees, and the other is cool enough that they can go over there if it gets too hot, do whatever you need to do. I didn't have a heating lamp for Pyrrhos, and she never seemed cold. Her cage was often in the mid-eighties. When I did get a lamp, she didn't like the heat, and still stayed where it was mid-low eighties.

I keep their food and water on the cooler part of the box.

 

[poochell01]

From what I understand 90 degrees for the first week is good then raise 5 degrees a week so if its that warm without the light u don't need it. But I'm still learning I'm sure someone more experienced people will come along to help. With mine they were 2 weeks and it was 90 outside we were inside so I didn't use the light during the day

 

[Zombified]

Poochell01 is right, I believe. But with us, since the ducklings are a little more than a week apart, it's a little more difficult to raise it five degrees for Pyrrhos(the oldest). I take her out a lot, though, so she isn't in the hot box all day long.

 

[Amiga]

When we say "raise it five degrees," what are we saying?

The temperature needs to drop five degrees a week, more or less, so a week-old duckling is around 85F.

To do that, many of us raise the heat lamp.

During the first week, 90 should not be a problem, though some ducklings overheat.

They need a way to have their brooder temperature regulated. Overheating can be fatal.

If it's near ninety outside, and there is no cooling in that building, for their sakes please find either a way to cool the structure or move them.

 

[misscarianne]

I knew what they meant... Lower the temp, raise the lamp. It doesn't get too hot if the lamp is off, if and when it does, I cool the building with a fan. I just didn't know if it was safe to turn lamp off completely during the day when the building is warm enough on its own. Thanks for the help!

 

[Amiga]

I figured you probably read what they meant, but, well, I was feeling cautious.

 

[jak2002003]

lol. If you raise the temp 5 degrees each week you are likely to have crispy duck for dinner ......

 

[misscarianne]

Thanks for the help, everyone. For now, I have the lamp off, and all the doors open so the light breeze can go through the building. The temp is staying at around 85ish. They seem to be comfortable, not panting, but not huddled up as if they are too cool. Active as well. Good for now and I will turn the lamp back on after sunset when it gets cooler. Thanks again.

 

[Zombified]

Yeah, Pyrrhos seemed to like it around there. The little ones I have now like it hot. For now, it seems that they're all pretty comfortable at 86-88.