Incubator ventilation, help appreciated!

[mahsad]

Cool, might do the same thing with my bator. Is it possible to take them out for "a walk" inside the house? Will they withstand 70 F?

The bulb in my incubator is pointing horizontally behind a sort of cardboard room. When transforming it to a brooder box, how should the bulb point so that they can sit under the light when it's cold and go away from it when it's hot. Maybe it's fine just to keep it the place it is at?

 

[polarbearpilot]

For my brooder box, I kept the light in the same spot and position, and I also kept the glass lid above the bulb so that heat didn't escape and that was the side where the chicks slept. The other end was for food and water. As for walking, I think it may be OK for a very short time. Mother hen would take her chicks out the day after they hatch but she has wings that they can run and hide in when they get cold or scared.

For me, I had them in the brooder for 1 1/2 weeks, although my kids kept taking them out to hug and play with a few minutes at a time. After their wing feathers grew out more, I took them outside midday when it was warmest and let them out inside a cage sitting on grass and dirt and let them explore and scratch for food for a few hours. At two weeks, I took them outside first thing in the morning and let them stay out the whole day. I put a file box with a closed lid inside the cage and made a "flap door" on the side of the box so that they can run inside if they get cold or scared. I lined the box with a nice layer of shredded paper to keep the them warm and the box clean. In the evening, they all go inside the box to sleep on their own, and I just take the box inside the house so they stay warm. The next morning, I take the box outside.

 

[mahsad]

My incubator was too small so fetched a cardboard box and putted a homemade feeder and waterer and a lamp, and now they have a nice cozy home! I love when they sleep in a circle around the light, so funny! I'm feeding them chick starter food. It says on the bag that it shold compose 90% of their daily intake of feed. I am giving some budgie's feed too from my hand and my, look at them run! It's like they are not interested in the other feed, but absolutely loving the budgie's, but at the morning i find out that they have eaten quite a lot. Is there anything else they like to eat? I know i shouldn't give them greens as this can give them pasty butts.

Oh BTW, picture, of course!