Make sure dogs cats and rats are kept out.
Do you have to have a heat lamp for baby ducks.
The lamp must be secure and feature guards to keep it from directly contacting litter if it falls.
Use a thermometer to register the heat in your brooder.
Baby ducks need to be kept very warm in the first few weeks after they hatch to give them the chance to get used to the chilly air outside their eggs.
You need to hang a heat lamp above the storage container or bed.
Use a 100 watt bulb to start.
But you should know that ducklings don t need heat for as long as chicks do.
Try to get close to 90 f the first week then adjust it by 5 degrees each week until the temperature matches the outside temp.
Keeping chicks during summer months can be easier than winter because your house may be hotter.
Once they are about two months old and presumably living outside you can remove their feed and water at night if you wish.
Are heat lamps really necessary for baby ducks.
Ducklings and chicks need to be warm since they are not with their mother.
I provide constant feed and water for ducklings.
If home temperatures range around 75 degrees you won t need a heat lamp past week four.
If baby ducks aren t being kept warm by their mother they need extra heat for the first couple weeks of life.
Be sure to use a lamp with a ceramic socket.
For very young ducklings this should create the right amount of heat.
You can put a heat lamp over the brooder at a corner.
The lamp is normally hung about 18 from the bedding where it should be 90 95 degrees.
And also the ideal temperature is at 95 farenheit the first week and then go down 5 degrees until you reach 70 this can be done by moving the lamp up higher which will make the temperature go.
The porous material wicks moisture away from the feed and seems to keep it drier.
One heat lamp can handle about 35 ducklings 20 goslings 40 guineas or 60 pheasants.
Plastic may melt with the heat produced by a heat lamp.
Buy a brooding lamp at a feed store or hardware store and affix it to the top of the brooder.
However as long as the chicks aren t crowded a regular white bulb should be fine.
This ensures that if they are cold they can go under the light for some warmth and if they get too hot they can move out from under the light.
It is also a good idea to place their feed under the heat lamp where the heat will dry it a bit.
There should be some type of solid wall or partition around the pen to prevent drafts which can be deadly.