Post pics of your Duckling Brooders!

[secuono]

I'm getting a batch of ducklings on the 9th and need pics of your brooder set ups!

 

[mandelyn]

I sold mine. LOL It was basically a box covered all around with hardware cloth, sized so that two tubs could fit below and catch the water mess. Towels under the heat lamp. Rinse, wash, dry, reuse! Very little dust.

I bought a 3x3 galvanized dog whelping box I'm going to alter into a brooder. It was $35 on CL. The bottom is 6 inches high, and has a lip around it to hold the puppies in. I'm going to build a frame to sit on that lip, out of 1x6 lumber. On the bottom I'll staple hardware cloth. That will create a 6 inch tall wall in the brooder so that they can't poop out of the side, an issue I had with the all wire brooder. The wire floor will allow the mess to fall into the galvanized water tight base. I might drill a hole in one corner and connect a hose to the drain in the floor, and set it at a slight angle. Not sure yet. Then I need to build a top, the sides are like a metal dog crate, they will need lined with hardware cloth to keep the babies inside when they're little.

Then a hinged lid to sit on top.

If I drill a drain hole, for cleaning I will only have to pour water in and flush it out. I'm going to install handles on the base, so that I can easily lift it out to scrub the bottom. The hole thing will come apart for easy cleaning and easy storage. The other style was a pain from having to remove the tubs and rinse them out, they were large and awkward.

I might build two brooders, sized to fit the two giant tubs. I don't know. All I know is the trick to it is keeping water from collecting where the ducklings live. Anything with a solid bottom will need more frequent cleaning to keep the ducklings dry and warm. If you use bedding, you really will be scooping a soggy mess 5 times a day. Another reason I switched to old bath towels... the compost pile was building up way too fast with bedding.

You only need wire below where the water sits, and about 6 inches around it. So building a brooder where only one 12x12 corner or so is wire with a bucket below it would make a big difference in how often you need to clean.

 

[70%cocoa]

Here's my brooder. It has a mesh floor and an orange slide out tray up one end - I put the food and water up that end and an old towel (changed twice a day) over the rest of the floor.

It lives outside when I'm not using it but when it has occupants it's inside the human house, close to the back door.

 

[gofasterstripe]

 

[eaemnc]

What are the dimensions? Just curious.. Thank you!! BEAUTIFUL brooder btw!!!!

 

[70%cocoa]

My red brooder is 2ft x 3ft 3 inches. It's fine for 4-5 ducklings till 2 weeks of age, when they go to a heated outdoor pen. I only hatch in small numbers