7th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2016 Hatch-A-Long

[Pensmaster]

Supposed to get down to 25F here tonight. Freezing temps for several days ahead.
Whose idea was it to hatch chicks in winter?

We are having a warm spell. 50* in the barn at 3:00 am. Warm spell not good. Melts snow.

 

[chattery41]

We are having a warm spell. 50* in the barn at 3:00 am. Warm spell not good. Melts snow.

How many times did u go out to check ur babies last night ?

 

[Pensmaster]

How many times did u go out to check ur babies last night ?

Well the last time was 3:00. After waking up at 2:30 I got to thinking maybe I wrapped them up too much and might suffocate them. So back to the barn. When I checked on them they looked at me like yea you need something. None of them were using the plate. Total of four times. First three were before going to bed. .

 

[cree57i]

Weather just said it was 13 here last night. The babies were in the coop which is plastic wrapped with a premier one brooder plate. The brooder plate is still working and the babies are stillrunning around everywhere. I didnt think it was going to get quite that ccold last night. So far it is ok. Have some younger ones in the house though and the dust is getting to me. Somehow ive got to transition the next group outside before the eggs in the bator hatch. Hatching addiction has its downside.

 

[Pensmaster]

Weather just said it was 13 here last night. The babies were in the coop which is plastic wrapped with a premier one brooder plate. The brooder plate is still working and the babies are stillrunning around everywhere. I didnt think it was going to get quite that ccold last night. So far it is ok. Have some younger ones in the house though and the dust is getting to me. Somehow ive got to transition the next group outside before the eggs in the bator hatch. Hatching addiction has its downside.

Their dust can cause lung problems so I usually try to get them out right away. Stayed in longer this time than I wanted. We are definitely sneezing less now. Still have to vacuum everywhere yet

 

[bamadude]

Half Isbar, half orpington. She is one of the mothers of one of my project cockerels.   The other mother is chocolate.

Wow. Me likey

 

[chattery41]

Weather just said it was 13 here last night. The babies were in the coop which is plastic wrapped with a premier one brooder plate. The brooder plate is still working and the babies are stillrunning around everywhere. I didnt think it was going to get quite that ccold last night. So far it is ok. Have some younger ones in the house though and the dust is getting to me. Somehow ive got to transition the next group outside before the eggs in the bator hatch. Hatching addiction has its downside.

Yea it was down around 19` here last night too.

 

[chattery41]

Well the last time was 3:00. After waking up at 2:30 I got to thinking maybe I wrapped them up too much and might suffocate them. So back to the barn. When I checked on them they looked at me like yea you need something. None of them were using the plate. Total of four times. First three were before going to bed.

.

I left them after my last before bed check and headed out again this morning and all was well. On my last trip i put a 150w light out there to go with the 250w just because it was so flippin cold. They done well and i just had to clean and refill their water this morning. They are learning to eat from my PVC feeders too which is great. Now if i can get them going on my horizontal nipple bucket we would be all set.

 

[Pensmaster]

I left them after my last before bed check and headed out again this morning and all was well. On my last trip i put a 150w light out there to go with the 250w just because it was so flippin cold. They done well and i just had to clean and refill their water this morning. They are learning to eat from my PVC feeders too which is great. Now if i can get them going on my horizontal nipple bucket we would be all set.

I tried the nipples last time. They dripped too much or chicks may have bumped them too much and they leaked.

 

[KYTinpusher]

I left them after my last before bed check and headed out again this morning and all was well. On my last trip i put a 150w light out there to go with the 250w just because it was so flippin cold. They done well and i just had to clean and refill their water this morning. They are learning to eat from my PVC feeders too which is great. Now if i can get them going on my horizontal nipple bucket we would be all set.

In my grow-out pen I usually have different ages of chicks, i.e. different sizes, so I find it works best to have both the horizontal and vertical nipples in the bucket. That way, those that are not quite strong enough or tall enough to use the horizontal nipples can use the vertical ones.

Quote: I have found that it is not usually the nipples themselves that leak, though it can happen. Usually it is because the hole that the nipple is in is not quite the right size or not perfectly round, leaving a small gap. I like the vertical nipples that fit into the rubber grommet because the hole doesn't need to be precise. As long as the size is close, the rubber will conform to the shape of the hole. For my horizontal nipples, I wrap the threaded stem in Teflon plumbing tape or silicone tape to ensure a tight seal.