Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
No matter what your philosophy on medications, I strongly suggest you try to avoid
medicated feed to ducks and geese. Some medications cause digestive problems for wa-
terfowl. In times gone by, the coccidiostat used by many raisers caused major issues for
their waterfowl flocks.
Let There Be Heat
Proper heating of the day-old brooder facility is your next concern on the list. The tem-
perature at ground level for the first week for all young fowl should be 95°F (35°C). The
location of the plastic tub brooder and the temperature of the surrounding environment
will influence your decision about placement of the heat source and the type to be used.
If the container is in a basement or garage for the first couple weeks, for example, and
the temperature in those facilities is not terribly cool, then the birds will not need a heat
lamp with very high wattage. I try to maintain the building in which I start the day-olds
at between 60 and 70°F (15-21°C). Usually a 100-watt bulb is sufficient for heat.
If the building is cooler, you may have to increase the wattage of the light bulb, being
very careful never to use infrared heat lamps (see box below). When you have the birds
in a small confined space, such as a plastic tub, your heat lamp may not need to hang
quite as close to the chicks as when you're using an old stock tank or something larger.
The number of chicks in the space is another consideration when deciding where to situ-
ate the heat source. More chicks may mean lower wattage or a lamp strung at a greater
distance from the babies.
There is no exact formula for the perfect-size lamp to use or the proper distance
between chicks and heat.
Instead, you must be an attentive caretaker and observe the
adjust accordingly.
When raising poultry in such a small area — in a plastic tub or old stock tank — take
care to keep the heat at one end of the container to allow the chicks to escape to the other
end. Do not allow the heat source to hang over or lie on top of the screen in the middle
of the container. Temperatures can vary greatly in the course of 24 hours; should it be-
come too warm in the facility, the chicks will need to flee to a cooler end to escape the
heat. The old idea of placing the heat in the middle of the brooder is a remnant from a
time when farmers raised great numbers of birds in a large building. This does not work
in a small confined space with only a few birds.
STEER CLEAR OF INFRARED LAMPS
