5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[BadgerHill]

This thread is killing me! I would love to hatch along with everyone, but I am pretty sure my hubby would shoot me if I fired up the incubator. I will have to be content to follow along and enjoy everyone's successes. Just a question... How do you northern hatchers brood your chicks after a winter hatch? The snow is pretty deep here and we aren't expected to see above 0 temps for a week or so. Makes everything so much harder. Any tips are appreciated. Then maybe next year I will be all in!

 

[SunnySkies]

This thread is killing me! I would love to hatch along with everyone, but I am pretty sure my hubby would shoot me if I fired up the incubator. I will have to be content to follow along and enjoy everyone's successes. Just a question... How do you northern hatchers brood your chicks after a winter hatch? The snow is pretty deep here and we aren't expected to see above 0 temps for a week or so. Makes everything so much harder. Any tips are appreciated. Then maybe next year I will be all in!

Garage with an EcoGlow. Kick them out when they don't need the Eco any longer.

 

[Kalalyn21]

Have eggs showing up today!!! I wish I didnt have to work and could just stalk the post office for the delivery truck. Just a little anxious to see what I got, it was a mixture of eggs.

 

[chickensnewtome]

Just thought I would share how excited I am for this hatch!!!! can't wait!!

 

[acemario]

This thread is killing me! I would love to hatch along with everyone, but I am pretty sure my hubby would shoot me if I fired up the incubator. I will have to be content to follow along and enjoy everyone's successes. Just a question... How do you northern hatchers brood your chicks after a winter hatch? The snow is pretty deep here and we aren't expected to see above 0 temps for a week or so. Makes everything so much harder. Any tips are appreciated. Then maybe next year I will be all in!

I am just finishing up my first winter hatch... I have a shed, and I just put a heat lamp low enough to keep the temp around 85-90 degrees. I put the water under the lamp as well so it won't freeze. Usually, there is enough room for the chicks to be under the lamp, or venture out further to a cooler temperature if they want... Mine feathered out really fast and were ready to move out of the shed @ 6 weeks... I have a mini coop that I stapled construction plastic around and put a heat lamp in there. So far it's worked out for me!

Have eggs showing up today!!! I wish I didnt have to work and could just stalk the post office for the delivery truck. Just a little anxious to see what I got, it was a mixture of eggs.

Pictures?!?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

... How do you northern hatchers brood your chicks after a winter hatch? The snow is pretty deep here and we aren't expected to see above 0 temps for a week or so. Makes everything so much harder. Any tips are appreciated. Then maybe next year I will be all in!

That's pretty cold, real cold here is -10 but that's fairly unusual. Single digits for a low is more normal.
I have homemade brooders with a light socket at each end. After the first week I switch from the 250 watt lamps to ceramic emitters so I can give them 8 hours of dark.
The raised sides on the brooders hold shavings for insulation.
It can get pretty cold in the building but I've never lost a chick to being too cold.
Inside building


Outside building

 

[Aphrael]

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Hehe. I like this one. Good morning and happy almost Friday to you!

dead rooster today.

mustve been roostin in a tree last night or something then something took his head off

Oh no! I'm so sorry you lost one.

That's pretty cold, real cold here is -10 but that's fairly unusual. Single digits for a low is more normal.
I have homemade brooders with a light socket at each end. After the first week I switch from the 250 watt lamps to ceramic emitters so I can give them 8 hours of dark.
The raised sides on the brooders hold shavings for insulation.
It can get pretty cold in the building but I've never lost a chick to being too cold.
Inside building


Outside building

This looks really nice! Lucky chickies!

 

[chickydee64]

Just a quick good morning.....................

I should have ordered eggs but a little late now.............
Girls are holding back so I will have some but not many................

I swear they are just taking turns with winter vacation.......
I have a very OLD EE. She is blind in one eye, I separate her to eat because she cannot compete with the others.
Thought she was through laying but has surprised me with two eggs this week.........She is very sweet...............

Have a Serama hen with eggs due this weekend...moving her into the house today.
We are very cold in Oregon.......

A big welcome to everyone joining the past few days.................

I think this is going to be a whole lot of fun.........................

 

[ronott1]

He probably doesn't have any hobbies.

This is the only Hobby that counts!

 

[ronott1]

Setting up the bator tomorrow. But....EEK.....we are supposed to get a winter storm in my area on Sunday. That would be fine except I live in the area where heavy ice is predicted with widespread power outages expected from the ice. I have a car battery with a power inverter to run an incubator if necessary..I hope we don't get a power outage. We haven't been able to scrape together the money for a whole house generator yet (previous owners took it with them when the bank foreclosed). Plus the people who lived here before us installed gas logs in the fireplace...but you can't light them when the power is off, and the propane company said the line from the tank to the fireplace is no longer code and wouldn't fill the tank.


I can donate a dozen Swedish Flower Hen eggs (parents are direct from GFF) as a prize if anyone can come up with a suitable contest.

How about:

Number of eggs set
Best chicken Apt. Brooder

It is a great idea to have a power backup!