blood ring or blind

[PD-Riverman]

Granny and Yorkshire----I have been reading "your" thread for months-----you 2 are about the only ones that post on it---LOL. Interesting conversations at times. I kinda feel like a intruder into Your World.

A little about me in case you do not know me----I hatched a few chicks in the 80's, then every few years I would drag the styrofoam back out and hatch a few more. About a year ago I drug the incubator back out and hatched a few----I got hooked and built a cabinet incubator and hatcher---even bought a few more used cabinet incubators------one used GQF I have not even hatched in it yet---I just bought it incase I needed it. In the last 11 months I have hatched around 5200----Its been a Year of many Chicks, many brooders full.

We are expecting the Bird-flu to come this way---and I if it does all the animal auctions/swaps/etc/etc will be closed-----might close soon any way to prevent a spread. I have been shutting down my little hatching hobby---emptying the incubators over the last few weeks as well as cutting down on my number of chicks/chickens. I figure I will sit back and see what happens. I have alot of breeders---I been cutting/selling them down---probably eliminate some breeds------I been trying to get down on total chickens to around 200 +/-.

Any signs of bird Flu in your area?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Riverman, you think this convo gets strange sometimes ? hahaaaa I only talk on this and one other. My fingers wander as fast as my mind. I went to the grocery today and the cheepest doz. of eggs was $3. organic $5 . I have had 3 incubators. one is now garbage, one went back to the store. garbage as well. and a member on here made me one. I havent been doing a good job of keeping humidity up so i put it away as well. There is no such thing as an intruder in my life. I have NOT heard of any flu local and just a guess but i dont think i will. media is very dramatic . You have a lot ! I am having a hard time feeding what i have. 8 bags a month and 2 corns. 76 chickens or somewhere in that range. giving/tossing eggs away. its a waste. I want to hatch babies like Yourkshire does but theres no market here. Just Amish mostly. they want layers for nothing.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@PD-Riverman don't feel like an intruder please. Everyone is welcome here honestly it's not "our" thread. Yes the convo does tend drift a little off topic sometimes but in general it gets back to chicks and incubating.

I would love a cabinet incubator, there would be no stopping me then. 5200 is a lot of chicks and a great result. Do you sell them on? As chicks or adults?
That's well rubbish in the bird flu, I'm over in the UK and we had an outbreak in my county. It was awful and not many miles from me as the crow flies. It was on a duck farm it happened and I think they culled about 20,000,00 birds to keep under control. I was panicking about wild birds flying down into birds and infecting them but thankfully they kept it under control.

Sorry your having to cut back, hope it all passes soon for you.

A quick hatch update now ~ 10 in the brooder ~ 12 in incubator ~ 2 eggs pipped ~ 3 eggs I can't see properly.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I would love a cabinet incubator, there would be no stopping me then. 5200 is a lot of chicks and a great result. Do you sell them on? As chicks or adults?

Thanks. I mainly sell them at as they hatch----1 day old and up, kept some I hatched in the beginning. All the chickens I have---I hatched except for about 25. I was keeping some to grow to just starting to lay pullets. My goal was to carry about 50 5 to 6 month old pullets to the Auction per week, But that is not going to happen now. The Auction I go to is closing the end of this month due to bird-flu coming(its time to renew his yearly lease, linc, insurance, etc---he figures he will have to shut down soon so he is not going to renew) and no other auction like that any where close to me-----another 1 about 2hrs away-----just to far. There is 3 other real small monthly auctions in my area---which I will attend, but they are real small----So I am 95% shutting down---trying to sell most all I have been raising. I have sold about 600 in the last few weeks with about 400 more I want to sell. Carrying a Load today---Wish me Luck!! Good Luck on all your hatching.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Is your hatch done yorkshire ? Riverman, the gqf or what ever incubator you were talking about, Is that the same as yorkshires ? Thats probably small potatoes to you. thats a lot of chicks. wish i had the know how and cash outlay to do what you are doing. would love it ! Then you get a yr. like this. sucks I hope it dont effect you too badly. Do you have pictures of what you do or do you have favorites you keep ?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Good luck PD on your plans, I really hope the flu does not affect you too bad. Hope you get the 400 gone and then you can get back upto full stock once the flu has passed. Thanks for the luck on the hatch! It's gone well.

Granny, nearly done. Have got 25 hatched

22 are in the brooder, 3 in the incubator, 1 egg pipped and the last egg showing nothing. Will give it longer though as its only day 21 so it may just be a slow coach.
Have got my Mums three to her house today. Have not stopped all day sorting things out. Once they were settled came home cleaned the coop they were in and got the 4 from my last hatch in there. They have enjoyed a bit of sun today out in their new coop and run. Then cleaned the brooder shed out ready for these new ones to go in there in the morning. Plus do the horse and my other chickens. A bit of shopping too. Been all go and finally glad to sit down for 5. Plus I cheated and got take away for tea as I could not face starting to cook

Will get some more soon.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

 

[Granny Hatchet]

they are cute yorkshire ! went to the movies today. been a long time Jurassic Park . meh...

 

[PD-Riverman]

Is your hatch done yorkshire ? Riverman, the gqf or what ever incubator you were talking about, Is that the same as yorkshires ? Thats probably small potatoes to you. thats a lot of chicks. wish i had the know how and cash outlay to do what you are doing. would love it ! Then you get a yr. like this. sucks I hope it dont effect you too badly. Do you have pictures of what you do or do you have favorites you keep ?

Good luck PD on your plans, I really hope the flu does not affect you too bad. Hope you get the 400 gone and then you can get back upto full stock once the flu has passed. Thanks for the luck on the hatch! It's gone well.

Granny, I do not know what Yorkshire has, But probably close----some GQF cabinets are different, but look about the same---according to the model. My Home-made cabinet/hatcher were made by looking at a picture on the computer, I have about 26 breeds now----but I keep some of what I hatch-----to grow out---to replace the 2 year old chickens----I rarely got a chicken over 2 years old.

Yorkshire Thanks.

I sold 148 last night any where from a week old to a couple years old(just a few of the older ones), but I got some hatching in the hatcher now---probably 50 to 75 (not looking at my book) or how many will hatch. I usually hatch about 95/100% of what I put in the hatcher on day 18. Here is a couple pictures of the incubator and hatcher I built from scratch---just looked at a picture. They work Great. The incubator has been running for almost a year----24/7 non stop since I built it----probably 4000 of the 5200 chicks were incubated in it.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

love it ! pretty handy person River ! Thought for a long time i would like to make one from an old piece of furniture. I just dont have the energy any more.