New Duckling Brooder

[Bleenie]

I started building this last night because the older ducklings were getting too big for the small brooder. I finished it this morning and got it all ready to move everyone. The big fatties went in the bottom brooder with a 100W regular light bulb & all the newly hatched babies went into the top brooder with a red heat bulb, I also put the 2 new Goslings(white chinese) in with the new babies. Was a little worried at first but now the ducklings are climbing on the goslings, so all is well!

Brooder Measurements:
5' high
4' long
2' wide

Each brooder is about 23inches tall on the sides but the top one can be made a little taller for better windbreak for the new babies. Straw & pellet bedding mixed in each brooder.

It's made totally out of recycled wood so i was happy at how nice it turned out.

bottom brooder:

top brooder:

 

[ChickenToes]

Nice setup!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

How sweet.

 

[T Hi]

Jeez Bleenie! I might move in!! Those lucky duckies!!

 

[chickboss]

That is awsome! With the way we are going i may need to build multi-level brooders. LOL. I love your babies. Are those big ones with all the teeny tiny ones geese? So cute!

 

[Amiga]

Great design!

I love repurposed materials!!!!

Very nice work!

 

[Bleenie]

Yeah, the bigger, white ones with the new babies are geese, they're White Chinese so they don't grow as fast, i am hoping they'll grow about even with the muscovies. I had an Embden baby and at 1.5wks old it was bigegr than the biggest scovy baby!! fat little monster found a new home yesterday. There's also a Polish chick in with the older ducklings, it's mom's but isn't big enough to go to her house yet.

I wanted to make the brooder big enough to accomidate the older babies but still not take up a ton of space, that's why i decided to do a 'double decker'. it was super easy to build and didn't take long at all, would have went faster if it hadn't been raining though! I might build a larger one later on with a small 'pool' for the older ducklings. still just thinking about it though.

so far the baby count is up to 22 newbies(scovy), the 2 geese & the older babies on the bottom. I sexed those the other day and they look liek all girls but 1 blue fawn is growing faster than the others..i'll have to double check them.

thanks everyone!

 

[duckyfromoz]

Fantastic job Bleenie... And a great way to save space too. They certainly do look happy in there..

 

[Bleenie]

I was thinking of painting it too, I have a pretty, pale, sunny yellow & also a light blue color that is exterior paint. i would only paint the outside though, The wood i used was untreated so i want to keep it as "clean" as possible for the babies.

Yellow or Blue?
or Both??

 

[chickboss]

I vote yellow for the main box parts and blue for the posts.

How is sexing going? Do you feel pretty confident about what you are seeing? I still have yet to try again with mine. Maybe tonight.