Drawings and dimensions of a brooder for ducklings, how to make a box with your own hands
A brooder is a specially designed and equipped device that is used for keeping young poultry - chickens, ducklings, goslings - and for heating them. The device can replace the brood hen, as it has all the conditions for their growth and development. Consider the requirements for a brooder for ducklings and how to make it yourself for use at home.
Product types
The simplest fixture is one made from cardboard sheets or boxes. It is lightweight and comfortable material, but fragile and short-lived.
The cardboard gets wet from the water that gets on it, the ducks will spill it, as they like to swim. However, a brooder is needed only in the first month of the life of the young, then it is transferred to the room with the rest of the bird. The cardboard will withstand a month of operation, but it cannot be used in the future. Another drawback of the cardboard device is that it cannot be washed and disinfected.
If you need a brooder that is more durable, for several seasons, it must be made from thick plywood or thin boards. In such a device, other materials can also be used - glass, metal mesh, which can be washed and disinfected.
Requirements for brooder
It should be large enough for all the ducklings to fit in and feel comfortable. It should have a place for a feeder and drinker, and they should be placed so that young animals can freely approach food and water. For 1 sq. m. area should have no more than 20 ducklings.
The device must have a source of heat and light. Usually it is a red lamp, which is suspended from above the chicks at a certain distance.
There are also requirements for the floor of the device - it needs to be cleaned often, so it must be made of moisture-resistant material.
If it is not removable, then you need to find a material that can be used to close it. This can be film, pieces of newspaper, paper, or shavings.
An example of a homemade brooder is shown in the video:
Sawdust should not be used, as ducklings can peck them. It is much more convenient to use removable trays, which are much more convenient to clean. This design makes it possible to build a brooder in several tiers, in which a large number of young animals can be placed.
If a device that is closed on all sides is used, then a ventilation system must be provided in it so that air contaminated with vapors is removed from the brooder.
Drawings and dimensions
The dimensions of the structure depend on the number of ducklings raised in it. For 40 chicks, you can make a brooder with dimensions of 1 m by 0.6 m and a height of 0.5 m.
If there are more ducklings, you need to make several such brooders.
As for the design features, you can find options for devices of different shapes - rectangular, polygonal, square.
One of the options is shown in the video:
The form does not affect functionality in any way, you need to pay attention only to the dimensions.
The finished device can be like this:
Required tools and materials
To make a house for ducklings you will need:
- thin boards (up to 25 mm) or plywood sheets;
- metal corners;
- a grid with cells of 2 by 1.2 cm (for ducklings this is the most optimal cell size, on such a floor their legs stand steadily and do not fall through);
- wooden slats;
- door hinges;
- self-tapping screws;
- red lamp (60-250 W), cartridge for it;
- cable and plug;
- plastic vacuum drinker and trough feeder.
What tools need to be prepared:
- jigsaw and small saw;
- drill;
- screwdriver;
- a hammer;
- nippers and pliers;
- tape measure and marker.
It is not difficult to assemble a brooder, no special knowledge and skills are needed for this.
How to make a brooder for ducklings with your own hands
Sequence of work:
- Saw the timber into 4 pieces of 0.5 m each.
- Cut 2 side parts from plywood - the back and the top of the box.
- From a bar to make guides for the tray and the parts from which the doors will be assembled.
- Attach the guides to the back and side walls.
- Install stiffeners on the side walls.
- Connect all parts with self-tapping screws.
- Attach the walls, floor and top to the frame. Leave a gap for the removable pallet.
- Reinforce the mesh floor with self-tapping screws.
- Hang the doors on the front with the hinges.
Install a lamp, thermostat, thermometer in the finished brooder. Place the feeder and drinker on the floor.
Option with mesh lid possible:
Or like this:
Wall mount device:
Arrangement of a brooder
On the floor, if it is not mesh, you need to lay the film and sprinkle a thin layer of shavings, put paper or pieces of wallpaper. Good results are shown by coarse paper, which dries quickly under a lamp, does not get wet, the feet of the wefts do not slip on it. You need to change the bedding every day, the ducklings not only stain it with their feces, but also spill water, trying to swim.
The lamp is placed at such a distance that the temperature inside is 32-35 ˚С. Then it is gradually reduced by 2 ° C every week. It is easy to determine a comfortable temperature for ducklings: if they are cold, they sit under the lamp, if it is hot, they concentrate under the walls.
As for the brooder area, you need to ensure that all chicks have enough space. If you experience discomfort from the cramped living conditions, you need to transplant to another place.
It is not necessary to buy a brooder for industrial ducklings, you can make it yourself. This will require the simplest materials and basic knowledge of joinery. In a brooder, ducklings are raised for a month, then transferred to a cage or into a duck house for an adult bird.
After each brood, the finished brooder is cleaned and its parts are disinfected, dried and stored until next use. Made according to the rules, it will last for several years in a row.
