Is this a good brood bin?

[Black-Teacup]

I recently had to move my two week-old Welsh Harlequin babies into a new brood bin, as one of my mother's dogs got into the last one and ate two of my four 'lings :'(

So, I grabbed an old cage from back when I had rats, gave it a good scrub down, and rehomed my kids in it.

The cage is pretty tall; waaay taller than an adult duck. Plenty of room. For now, at least. (I actually moved the heat lamp up because they were too warm)

Their food and water is up and away from the bedding.

I built them a little "fort" to hide in, because sometimes a baby duck's just gotta hide. (Idk if they'll use it, but it's worth a shot.)

Duck-Duck (left) and Layla (right) seem to like it well enough.

I thought this was a pretty nifty idea, as it elevates the ducklings closer to my level, and keeps them from jumping out of the bin. I'm pretty inexperienced with raising ducks and the like, so I was wondering if any of you might have some insight on how to improve the setup?

 

[Krazyquilts]

First of all, very cute lil duckies! More pics please! I'm very fond of the WH breed - pretty and practical.

I'm very sorry for your loss of the other two ducklings.

Looks like a great brooder to me and very similar to This one I used.

I also added a "bedroom" consisting of a straw-filled box that got replaced as it got dirty/ soggy. After a bath, that's where they always went to preen - not sure if that's because of the straw or if that was because the "bedroom" was right under the heat lamp though.

For general duck raising advice, I always recommend Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by David Holderread. Amazing book!

 

[Black-Teacup]

First of all, very cute lil duckies! More pics please! I'm very fond of the WH breed - pretty and practical.

I'm very sorry for your loss of the other two ducklings.

Looks like a great brooder to me and very similar to This one I used.

I also added a "bedroom" consisting of a straw-filled box that got replaced as it got dirty/ soggy. After a bath, that's where they always went to preen - not sure if that's because of the straw or if that was because the "bedroom" was right under the heat lamp though.

For general duck raising advice, I always recommend Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by David Holderread. Amazing book!

What a cute bunch!

Okay, good to know my setup is actually decent. I very badly want to make sure they have a good safe place to live The bedroom addition's a pretty nifty idea. I'm not sure if I have the room in my cage, but I might try it out

And thanks for the book rec. I'll for sure see about adding it to my library

EDIT: Forgot to add more pics, per your request.

I managed to fit the bottom of their incubator into the bin, and it makes a great little pool for quick baths. (Sorry my camera hates the heat lamp lol)

 

[Krazyquilts]

They are so cute! They look very happy.