Question about 1st time brooder set up????

[T Hi]

Hello! So I'm still waiting to find some runners but I may get lucky this week! After reading Storey's Guide and all the postings on here I'm kinda confused.'

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1) Do I have to use a 250w red heat light? Will just a regular light bulb work?

I'm only getting 3 babies and they will be kept in a plastic storage box in my master bathroom that stays warm at about 70* consistently.

2) The pen I have outside is 12'x6' chain-link fence that connects from my laundry room. I currently have cedar chips in there cuz fleas don't like cedar but should I clean them all out and put pine in OR just add pine on top?

3) What is it about the cedar that is dangerous for ducks?

4) I really want them to be people friendly so should I and my twin 15 year olds handle them as much as possible or give them a few days of rest when we first get them? (I think they will be about 3 days old)

I'm so excited to finally be so close to getting my babies but I so want everything to be perfect and ready when I get the call! Is there anything else anyone can think of for some good advice??

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[BarkerChickens]

Quote:
You will need to use a red bulb. The size is up to you as long as the temperature is warm enough. The reason it needs to be red is because chickens/ducks are sensitive to light cycles and a regular bulb will keep them awake. Additionally, a red bulb will help prevent cannibalism. The first week should be 95* and drop 5 degrees a week from there. If they huddle around the light, it is too cold. If they are staying on the far reaches of the brooder, it is too hot. If they are all sprawled out, it is perfect.

Quote:
Yes. The oils in cedar are toxic to chickens/ducks. It causes respiratory problems. See if you can find Food-grade Diatomaceous Earth (also known as Fossil Flour). Some feed stores carry it. You can add this to the pine shaving and it helps get rid of fleas, mites, etc. (cuts up their exoskeleton causing them to dehyrate and die).

Quote:
People vary on this. I think it doesn't matter as long, in the long run, they are handled often. I have chicks (chickens) I got at 2 wks old they are friendlier than a few that I got at 2 days old. If you want to let them rest, that is fine. It won't change the outcome if you spend time with them afterwards.


These are based on my experience with chickens...but many raise ducks and chickens together, I so much of it should be the same.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

and

from Alaska

Cedar gives off Toxic fumes; it will need to be removed. Pine shavings are much better.
The white light will work.....

 

[T Hi]

Awesome! I knew I could count on BYC folks to help! Sounds like the 2 bales of cedar that we dumped back there was a waste! Darn! I love the smell of the cedar.

Do you think that I can just leave it there for now? They will be inside at least 2 months before going to the pen, right?

I will let them out in the main yard with me but that is on the opposite side of the house.

 

[Amiga]

I would let the cedar replacement be lower on the priority list for now. But you will need to deal with it before they go out there. BTW, I found out that *I* am allergic to pine shavings

and aromatic shavings are considered a liability for many small animals. Just sharing what I have experienced and read about.

When I got my eleven runners, I just made sure that for the first couple of days, they were warm, dry, fed properly, and kept safe. I did not handle them, but I did talk to them quite a bit, so they would imprint on me. Travel is stressful for them. They need water right away. Some suggest letting them have their first drinks for several minutes, taking away the water for several minutes and giving it back, so they don't drink till they urp. Lukewarm water the first day (you may need to help them understand they need to drink, by dipping their bills gently into some lukewarm water) or so, and I used gro-gel, a vitamin and probiotic supplement to boost their immune systems during the first week. I also use vitamin electrolyte probiotic powder in water once a week to help them as they grow, especially after a big day (in one case, I considered their first trip to the bathtub in 2 inches of warm water a big day).

Just for what it is worth, I started them at 90 degrees F and dropped five degrees a week from there (it's been a month since they arrived).

Because I had them, I am using ceramic heating bulbs that cast no light, with a full-spectrum lightbulb for light and a little extra heat. I placed the bulbs so that there was a variety of temperature in the brooder. A small round thermometer (not mercury!) is in the brooder so I can monitor the temperature of the warmest spot (right under the heaters) and adjust accordingly.

They are almost at the point they can be fine at room temperature (I keep that one about 70).

Before you leave them in the pen, know that predators will reach through chain link and grab the ducks. At least three feet of half inch hardware cloth along the bottom will discourage that. Do you have anything in place to prevent something digging under the fence? I will be covering the top of their night pen with half inch hardware cloth, also, because of the climbing and flying predators we have.

 

[T Hi]

Went and got a thermometer and a bale of white shavings. I will need it for the brooder box anyway. Now someone else at the feed store suggested that I put a layer of straw on the bottom of my brooder box and then a layer of shavings. ????

I'm trying to construct some sort of device that I can use to adjust the heights of the light so it can go higher as the temp needs to go lower. Any advice???

You guys are the best! Thank you for all your help so far!'

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[kathyinmo]

I don't know why they would suggest straw!

The first few days I use only paper towels in my brooder, then switch to pine shavings. Straw gets wet and holds mold spores ... I hate the stuff for bedding. Stick with the pine and I think you'll be happy with that.

 

[gryeyes]

My brooder is in the bathroom, and I have one of those extension rods set up to hang clothes out of the dryer.... right now, it's where I hang the heat lamp over the brooder. (Don't want to hang damp clothing - or even dry clothing - in the bathroom right now with all that brooder dust!) Don't use the lamp CORD to hang it, but use some twine or poly cord, or even a wire hanger over the rod, and attached to the lamp reflector. I just raise it a few inches every week. (Not the rod, but shorten the wire hanger hung on the rod and attached to the lamp.)

Worked for the first batch I raised in October, working real well now for this new batch. ;-)

 

[Amiga]

Since I had recently lost a beloved reptile (almost 29 years, wow), I had ceramic heaters. I have half inch hardware cloth very securely attached across the top of the brooder, and to get different temperatures I turn different heaters off and on. It works with lights used as heaters, too (I have a full-spectrum 60W bulb also).

Instead of raising and lowering one heater, I just use more or fewer, depending on the house temperature and the age of the ducklings. They are a month old now and soon will need no extra heat (yay).

 

[Amiga]

I would be cautious about straw, also, but when it comes to bedding, it really seems to vary quite a bit. Some folks to great with straw, others use a straw and shavings mix. I am allergic (I discovered recently

) to pine shavings, so we just switched to aspen shavings from towels because until this week, my little ducklings would gorge themselves on shavings. sigh.

But now we seem grown up enough to only nibble a few shavings, and leave the gorging to the salads I serve them.

I can't recall - do you have something set up so they can wash their little heads and get the uckies out of their eyes and nostrils (and also amuse themselves for hours peeping and quacking into?)