Bator to full?

[jimnjay]

Mareloo, I have had people ask about my chickens before. They are called Sizzles, a cross beteen Silkie and Frizzled Cochin. They are wonderful gentle little lap chickens and fantastic mamas. The one in my Avatar is sitting on her 4th brood since last March.

I use pine shavings in my nests and on the floor of the coop. It is a good material and easy to come by here. I have another set of breeding pens and I have sand in those.

I too am in awe of your garden. We have a nice one but weeds keep us working constantly mainly due to the 50+ inches of rain per year.

Again, I want to tell you how much I enjoy your contributions to this board.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
I give mine sand.

It's okay, just sprinkle a bit over their food or mix it in. You'll never know the difference!

"Koring" looks like what we call wheat, used in all kinds of baked goods like bread and pasta.

 

[Mareloo]

MissPrissy.. Weeds? What weeds? The size of your veggies however is extraordinary! I bet your hatch is going to be the same!

Jimnjay.. Thanks for the info. Here I learn everyday something new. Today your breed of chicken (I am a believer now) and bullseye. I was astonished! Real astonish, like jaw dropping astonish.. Who could have imagined? Just come back from inspecting some of my eggs.. LOL! I cant find a bullseye anywhere! I do know some of them must be fertile, I do have some hatch successes..

I can assure you.. I enjoy everybody heres contribution's much more than anybody can mine. To think, I found this place, looking for info. In my wildest dreams I could never imagine finding a real community like this one, and be accepted into it.. This site become much more than just a place to get information from. It is now a place to relax, rejuvenate, hang out, learn. It made my world so much bigger..

ChicknGurl... I fed them sand today.. Shame, poor baby's! Had one hell of a time getting them into this world.. just to feed them sand.. The second they start free ranging, I am stopping! LOL.. Weed is good for baby's, yes?

 

[Mareloo]

My first bator, halfway remodeled. Still need to make the semi auto turners! For any one attempting to do this. Do not assume one roll of heavy duty tin foil will be enough.. It wont be.. Don't assume one bottle of non toxic glue will be enough.. It also wont be! LOL!

The bator I started this thread originally about is today at day 19. I sealed it last night and got my first pip last night! This morning

a chick! Again! It is now the evening of day 19 and I already got 3 chicks and about another 5 pips.. I will have to snatch them out the bator, they will never make it in the bator another 4 days.. 3 down... 87 to go!

Found a teen this morning with both eyes swollen shut..

Maybe swollen is to a strong word and also no discharge.. I bath his eyes with some warm water but it didn't help. I went medicine hunting for the teen. I got a small stash of medicine I manage to get hold of but nothing for eyes. In this whole area there is nothing for chickens eyes. I ended up in the pharmacy and got eye salf for human new born. LOL. All that counts is that it works! Not even a half hour after I rubbed some on he opened both eyes. The only antibiotic I got for him is in flu meds, so, he is on that to. I do hope it helps. He is alone, shame.. making the cutest calling voice, koerrrr, koeeerrr.. the whole time.

 

[MissPrissy]

That looks real good, Mareloo. What is the wattage on your bulbs and the measurement of the box?

 

[silkiechicken]

Hmm... maybe you can get a picture of your chicken and it's eyes and post it in the emergency section. Maybe the underlying cause can be identified.

Nice bator! See if that doesn't work better for you.

 

[Mareloo]

MissP!.. The measurement of both the small boxes are 450mm (17.71 inches or 1.476 feet) wide 500mm (19.68 inches or 1.64 feet) long and 400mm (15.74 inches or 1.31 feet) high. I get about 40 eggs in each.

I got two, 100 watt, one 60 watt and one 40 watt light in the bator in the pic. If I set the thermostat the highest it can go, the temp work out perfectly at 38.33 Celsius. (100.994 Fahrenheit)

I do not know how that will work in practice but will be able to tell you in about 2 weeks time!

Silkiechicken.. Yes, I will do that.. I will have to.. It looks worse tonight..

The bator will definably work better. For one, the humidity problems is solved.. Lol, I even had to take some cups out. Makes a nice change to have to much humidity!

22 chicks down (and a turken!) 68 to go.. Nice going considering tomorrow is only the official hatch day!

 

[JudyMcKinn]

Wow! Where have I been? I just found this thread and read all the posts. So very interesting, and such interesting pictures. After reading all this, I feel like I know you, Mareloo. LOL Do you have a family, or are the chickens your family? My husband and I are retired, and live on our farm in Missouri, which is sort of in the center of the US.
I have several types of chickens, also. They are so much fun. I have been to Kenya, Africa, and found it so interesting. But Africa is a very large country, so I imagine South Africa is different. Please keep up the pictures and information. This is so much fun and interesting. Good luck with your hatch.

 

[Mareloo]

It sit like a stone in my gut. I am so sad and disappointed. Today was hatch date for my big bator. Since day 18 I got pips and healthy chicks. (not surprising, considering were I got the eggs) Woke up this morning and another 4 hatched over night. Had to do a long trip today and when I got back home, come to the bator first thing. Expecting to see lots and lots of new baby's... Nothing. Not one. My whole hatching day went past with over 60 eggs in the bator, without one chick.

I had such big plans for them. Anyhow, no matter, it isn't like I am not capable to get some tray chicken. I also like Speckledhen attitude, moving on. I will do that. No sympathy pls, i cant handle that right now.

I did see something very strange thou.. One egg pipped. It look like it bleed out. How is that possible? The chick made the pip itself.. Another thing.. One chick zipped right around, perfectly.. and died. Just strange..

JudyMcKinn.. I do have a large family. We all live in each others pockets (close together) I also thought Africa was huge, in fact, I thought Africa was the centre of the universe.. until I started to figure out were other people live. Your country is massive! You even got different time zones!

I have never traveled outside SA. Neither am I ever going to do so. (except if a civil war broke out, but that is another story) I think we might be a little more westernized than Kenya..

It crossed my mind that the powers that are (who ever extended me the curtsy of allowing this way of topic thread) is giving me a very long leash. Who ever that is.. Thank you so much. I think you do know what it means for somebody like me..

 

[silkiechicken]

If today is day 21... I would give them 3 more days. I've gotten a chick on day 24. I bet if there was temp flux, there are still good ones in there.