Need dry duckling brooder ideas.

[Miss Lydia]

70%cocoa :

Here's my brooder. It's on a stand so the house part can be lifted off. When in use it lives inside the human house, in our dining room.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_photo_1.jpg

The whole of the floor is mesh.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_photo_3.jpg

Underneath on the right hand side is a lid from a plastic container. You can see it in the first pic - the orange thing. It collects water etc and slides out. It's on some bits of metal that act as runners.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_photo_2.jpg

This is what it kind of looks like when set up.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_p1060460.jpg

Food and water up the mesh end with the slide out tray and a towel down the other end for sleeping on (this pic was taken before I put the tray in...). Normally there is a ceramic heat lamp up the towel end towards the back corner. I also put a bit of non-slip matting up the food/water end to make it easier on their feet. This has holes in it and water still falls through. Once or twice a day (twice a day as they got older) I removed the towel and replaced it and took out the non-slip mat and hosed it off and put a fresh one in. Didn't stop them pooping of course but everything stayed dry and did not smell bad at all.

The whole thing is about 3 feet by 2 feet.

I really like the slide in and out pan. where did you find it?​

 

[StevenW.]

70%cocoa :

Here's my brooder. It's on a stand so the house part can be lifted off. When in use it lives inside the human house, in our dining room.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_photo_1.jpg

The whole of the floor is mesh.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_photo_3.jpg

Underneath on the right hand side is a lid from a plastic container. You can see it in the first pic - the orange thing. It collects water etc and slides out. It's on some bits of metal that act as runners.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_photo_2.jpg

This is what it kind of looks like when set up.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/80856_p1060460.jpg

Food and water up the mesh end with the slide out tray and a towel down the other end for sleeping on (this pic was taken before I put the tray in...). Normally there is a ceramic heat lamp up the towel end towards the back corner. I also put a bit of non-slip matting up the food/water end to make it easier on their feet. This has holes in it and water still falls through. Once or twice a day (twice a day as they got older) I removed the towel and replaced it and took out the non-slip mat and hosed it off and put a fresh one in. Didn't stop them pooping of course but everything stayed dry and did not smell bad at all.

The whole thing is about 3 feet by 2 feet.

I like this! Nonono! I LOVE this! Great job!

 

[Amiga]

I'm thinking of something like this for my next batch. Only three or four, not fifteen like last time.

 

[70%cocoa]

Miss Lydia, the orange thing is just a lid from a plastic box that I bought at the hardware store. It works well! You want to get one that is reasonably rigid as a lot of water (and food, poop etc etc) ends up in there and you don't want it bending all over the place and spilling as you take it out.

Amiga - I found that this size was good for four ducklings up to two weeks of age and would also have been fine for six. Mind you, I was changing the towel three times a day on weekends by the end (because I was home and was face to face with the horrific quantities of poop).

Another good thing about the mesh bottom is that I could take the whole brooder outdoors and put it on the grass for some safe outdoor grass-nibbling time.