That being said 4 yrs ago my totally free rangers (100%) just add water birds were decimated
by the one predator I won't dispatch, Cuban renters. My flock was + or - 85-100 birds who slept
in trees, foraged their own feed on 35 acres and best of all set on and hatched the eggs in crude
connected milk crates under a tin roof .I butchered 40-50 Roosters and left the hens for next yr .
I even had a surefire way to collect fresh hatching's to put in my brooders .A std wire crate w/ 2"
sq. hole cut on top corner, as mama always shows off her bitty's I'd crab net her and lock her in
this crate. As we all know trying to capture newbies is almost impossible, I'd lay the crate on it's
side as dusk approaches and low and behold all those that survived day 1 would circle the crate
till they found the hole ! An hour after dark I'd set the crate upright trapping, contents relocating
bitty's in a Tailor made brooder with heat, water(w/ electrolytes and vitamins) and of course chick
starter with all the goodies in it.This routine worked great for a quarter century !Avg 80-100 birds
at harvest. Now I have spent far more$ and effort BUT last season somewhere in the ballpark of
850-900 birds were either sold or processed for consumption!! Who knew ?? I had a 20-25 yr old
model #1202 240 egg bator, God only knows from where! The first season I made every possible
mistake! Profoundly depressed from performing several hundred "egg-topsy's" only to discover
literally hundreds of fully formed DEAD peeps (gag) a day or 2 from pipping. That "winter" in FL
I read up on what could've been the cause. A stroke of luck,I found BYC which is my bird Bible
now. As I can only add 22-30 eggs (dated now) every 72 hrs the dry method which worked so
well last season has to be "tweaked" due to the shear #'s. My first hatch this year was awful,
after some electrical work I upgraded the 1202 with far better heater coils,replaced both wafer
type thermostats with 1 electronic and red lights which were shot. Also added two combo-temp
and humidity units. Last year mid season I got a pro heater/thermostat unit that got retrofitted
into a large igloo cooler for the lockdown phase . This is Q.1 I would appreciate any input re;
taking eggs OUT of #30 count plastic trays, or leaving them in(as they fit #60) or allowing eggs
to lay on side as they can move freely or a bed of sawdust to help dry them but hinders move
ment???? Any words of experience will be much appreciated. RR.
by the one predator I won't dispatch, Cuban renters. My flock was + or - 85-100 birds who slept
in trees, foraged their own feed on 35 acres and best of all set on and hatched the eggs in crude
connected milk crates under a tin roof .I butchered 40-50 Roosters and left the hens for next yr .
I even had a surefire way to collect fresh hatching's to put in my brooders .A std wire crate w/ 2"
sq. hole cut on top corner, as mama always shows off her bitty's I'd crab net her and lock her in
this crate. As we all know trying to capture newbies is almost impossible, I'd lay the crate on it's
side as dusk approaches and low and behold all those that survived day 1 would circle the crate
till they found the hole ! An hour after dark I'd set the crate upright trapping, contents relocating
bitty's in a Tailor made brooder with heat, water(w/ electrolytes and vitamins) and of course chick
starter with all the goodies in it.This routine worked great for a quarter century !Avg 80-100 birds
at harvest. Now I have spent far more$ and effort BUT last season somewhere in the ballpark of
850-900 birds were either sold or processed for consumption!! Who knew ?? I had a 20-25 yr old
model #1202 240 egg bator, God only knows from where! The first season I made every possible
mistake! Profoundly depressed from performing several hundred "egg-topsy's" only to discover
literally hundreds of fully formed DEAD peeps (gag) a day or 2 from pipping. That "winter" in FL
I read up on what could've been the cause. A stroke of luck,I found BYC which is my bird Bible
now. As I can only add 22-30 eggs (dated now) every 72 hrs the dry method which worked so
well last season has to be "tweaked" due to the shear #'s. My first hatch this year was awful,
after some electrical work I upgraded the 1202 with far better heater coils,replaced both wafer
type thermostats with 1 electronic and red lights which were shot. Also added two combo-temp
and humidity units. Last year mid season I got a pro heater/thermostat unit that got retrofitted
into a large igloo cooler for the lockdown phase . This is Q.1 I would appreciate any input re;
taking eggs OUT of #30 count plastic trays, or leaving them in(as they fit #60) or allowing eggs
to lay on side as they can move freely or a bed of sawdust to help dry them but hinders move
ment???? Any words of experience will be much appreciated. RR.
