Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Fancychooklady]

Okay, so I've just seen the weekend forecast 21 for Saturday and 12 for Sunday.
Tassie, perfect one day, not so perfect the next!

 

[Bens-Hens]

Is $700 a good price for a Sportsman incubator? 4 yrs old and in excellent condition with lots of trays and things. After all you pay more than that for a 50 egg r-com.

Does not sound too bad, a bare bones one is about US$700, so if it's already here and comes with all the trays seems like an ok price to me. I have never owned one though but was looking at them just yesterday.

EDIT: $1100AU here brand new
http://www.brookfieldpoultryequipment.com/products.php?id=52

$1500+ here in WA!
http://www.wapoultryequipment.net.au/products/gqfs-sportsman-incubator

 

[rexy]

If anyone is interested, have a quick look at this article in Qld Country Life. It says that - "In scientific terms, there is no evidence that chickens suffer any more in cages than when they are roaming around. Research undertaken by the University of Sydney shows that hen stress levels are similar across cage, barn and free range environments, with the key determinants of hen welfare being husbandry rather than the system used." "

Apparently us humans "project" our feelings onto chook welfare.

 

[rexy]

Does not sound too bad, a bare bones one is about US$700, so if it's already here and comes with all the trays seems like an ok price to me. I have never owned one though but was looking at them just yesterday.

I think the downside of these ones instead of the smaller benchtop ones is the power usage. Is it really significant?

My cheapy 'bator is now not doing a good job (or I am not doing a good job). It was going well, so just sussing out alternatives. The r-com is just so dear for a 50 egg.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I edited my last with some prices and links, as far as volume goes the sportman seems to do well, but the bigger ones will always chew more juice.

 

[rexy]

I edited my last with some prices and links, as far as volume goes the sportman seems to do well, but the bigger ones will always chew more juice.

but how much more juice?

 

[SydneyChickens]

OMG Fancychooklady your place is my dream! Arghhhh kills me! I'm so in love!

 

[TheChookPatch]

The low power consumption was what led me to rcom in the first place (apart from cheap dodgy bators) because my incubators are pretty much running the whole season I needed to cut down the power bills. I'm not sure about sportsman I've heard they are good though. You could try asking on the incubation station on Facebook. Someone there will definitely have pros and cons.
I don't want to jinx myself but I am actually getting a good run in my crappy bator at the moment. I have just hand turned rather than using the automatic turner. Maybe it's all the extra love...

I'm not sure about whether the golden pheasant would accept other eggs. She wasn't sitting on these ones I collected. If she starts sitting I will leave her to be a mummy but I'd really like some that are less scatty, like my girl that was eaten by the Fox, so hand rearing them is optimal for calming them a little.
I've got the cream legbars in Lockdown plus some Marans and olive Eggers one of the legbars is already pipping! ... I'm really hoping the legbars make it, I don't like hatching posted eggs but sometimes it is the only way to get new blood...

 

[Colourful]

I'm still reading through the posts so if I have missed something since I've been gone, I'll find out soon enough. Wow, two weeks equals over 400 posts. We are a busy bunch, eh?

I've hatched lots of turkeys since my first one and I've set up a quail pen with only Dark Brown, white, checker pattern and silver. I've also decided to try breed black quails, wish me luck. If I start getting a high DIS rate or the young are sickly, I'll stop but I'm hoping breeding from unrelated birds every second generation will help that.

 

[Bens-Hens]

but how much more juice?

I will see what I can dig up, but I can't promise a $$$ value, probably only find a comparison.

I will be back.