A. Place a thermometer in the brooder.  To start, center knob between the left and right extremes. Let the brooder stabilize. You can tell when the brooder is heating because the neon indicator light will come on. The unit is stabilized when the neon light is alternately out and/or flickering. The flickering indicates just a little heat being added to maintain the temperature

B. Move the adjustment from "12 o'clock" no more than "1 hour" either way, let it stabilize. Check the temperature change, make another adjustment. Repeat to hone in on the final desired temperature.

 C. Lock your settings by placing scotch tape or "Fun Tacky" (a sticky rubber/clay moldable product) on the knob so they won't turn accidentally.
   

VI.    Cleaning
 A. Windex and a soft cloth will be all that is needed to keep your Starter Brooder clean. Spraying with Nolvosan or a 10% diluted bleach solution will disinfect the Starter Brooder.

B. The clear access door is made of a scratch resistant acrylic but for best performance should be wiped with a clean cotton washcloth (not a paper towel. Paper towels are more abrasive than cotton)


VIII.    From Day 1
 A.    Run the Starter Brooder  at 98°f to start.

(With day one babies I double check everything so place a thermometer near the baby to double check the  temperature setting. Adjust the brooder temperature up or down to compensate.

        1.    Place the baby in a butter tub or container of your choice.
        2.    Place the container inside a sandwich bag (or gallon ziploc type bag) along with a soaked paper towel. Keep the paper towel separated from the tub.
            a)     The idea is to add extra humidity to just the area in the ziploc. DON'T SEAL (ZIP) the ZIPLOC!! The bag acts as a shield so the air circulating in the Starter Brooder won't blow on and dry out the baby. Even though the humidity tray will add humidity to the Starter Brooder, I supplement that humidity for the first few days. After a week or so the baby does not need the zip loc bag.
            b)     Change the paper towel and bedding material in the tub at every feeding. This warm moist environment will grow germs so extra vigilance is required here. (True with any brooder).
B. Reduce the operating temperature of the brooder on day 3 to about 97°f and look at the baby.
        1.    Always assess the baby when determining what is too hot or cold.
            a)    A baby that is too cold will huddle up against the side of the tub,
            b)    A baby that is too hot will stretch out or even hang their head over the side when sleeping.
        2.    Every day or two after that I reduce the temperature another degree. Assessing the baby in the brooder. (Is the baby acting too cold or warm?) So by the time their real down feathers are coming in (2-3 weeks ) the temperature is down in the mid 80's
            a)     When fully down feathered they can be at "room temperature". I'll leave them in the brooder (even turned off) and their own body heat will keep them comfortable.
 C. At this point I also lessen the amount of dampness on the paper towel. Gradually over a period of 3-4 days allowing the baby to further dry out.

VIII.          Humidity

A.  Add humidity by adding water to the optional humidity tray. (You can add water without the optional humidity tray by soaking a hand towel (or paper towel) in water and placing it in a bowl with water in it.) In extremely dry areas you may need to supplement the humidity with another pan of water placed in the brooder itself.

    B. After about 3 weeks or so your baby parrot may be big enough to generate enough additional moisture on their own and extra water isn’t necessary anymore.

X. Warranty

The Starter Brooder carries a 2 year parts and labor warranty. Shipping charges to and from our facility are the buyer's responsibility. Contact our service dept. at 1-877-283-9462 (AVEYINC) or email at service@aveyinc.com for return information.

        1. Return Policy.

            a)  Returns will be accepted for 30 days after shipping date on unused equipment returned in the original packaging. You must call for return authorization or shipment will be refused. Shipping charges and arrangements are your responsibility. A restocking charge of 20% will be assessed. Packages must be insured. You need to call and notify us on the day you ship your return, be prepared to supply your tracking number.