Really amazing to watch just how fast the little chicks really grow. Seems almost daily you can see the changes.
We lined the incubator with a blue plastic tarp, then added about half a bale of pine shavings for the floor. When it is time to change the shavings, simply lift the tarp out and carry to the compost pile to empty.
In addition to the 250 watt heat lamp, an additional 100 watt lamp was added at the other end of the brooder. We also put a moving blanket across the top to help insulate on the colder nights. The extra lamp evened out the temperature difference some, giving the birds more room to move about without being subject to cold spots. Seemed to work well. As they got a bit bigger, one of the issues came up was the chicks getting on top of the water and feed containers, and left droppings in both. That made for more frequent maintenance on our part. Hanging a plastic container above the feeder and waterer took that space away from them, so that stopped that problem. Later, the level of the feeder and water was raised with blocks of wood under them, the feeder eventually being suspended from above, keeping it high enough to minimize the chicks from climbing in and on the feed and water. As they got a bit bigger, I added a small roost. They were only a couple weeks old at the time I added that, and they quickly made use of it.
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