Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I'm still trying to figure out how I can keep them out of it, but allow the dogs in to keep wild life from coming in.

I'm planning to put a fence around mine to keep out birds, rabbits and the dogs themselves. They will still be able to get around all four sides of it to keep critters off the property. The only thing I haven't decided is whether to use utility panels or chicken wire for the fence. DH thought if we could use utility panels and attach them to each other at the corners, it would be a snap to take them down when it is time to retill next year. If I use chicken wire and t-posts, we will have to till around the t-posts. I can see his point but worry that the panels won't be stable enough just holding each other up like that. Then there is still a matter of figuring out how to put in a gate....

 

[chicken danz]

I have a fence around my veggie garden but only have fencing on two sides of the area I want to grow the stuff for chickens. It would take a lot of fencing. This area is off to the side of the property and sits back from a lot of the other things. The fence line runs way back so they might have trouble getting to the area behind it where wildlife could come up.
Maidenwolf are there vent holes in the bottom of the incubator. If so I would use a hot glue gun and plug those holes. Then you can add more water to the bottom for hatching. If you can slip a rag down to wick water up to the hatching area and make sure it stays wet that will help increase the humidity. Remember the more surface area the more humidity you can produce. Pieces of broken clay pot or other porous material in the water will help increase humidity.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

I have a fence around my veggie garden but only have fencing on two sides of the area I want to grow the stuff for chickens. It would take a lot of fencing. This area is off to the side of the property and sits back from a lot of the other things. The fence line runs way back so they might have trouble getting to the area behind it where wildlife could come up.
Maidenwolf are there vent holes in the bottom of the incubator. If so I would use a hot glue gun and plug those holes. Then you can add more water to the bottom for hatching. If you can slip a rag down to wick water up to the hatching area and make sure it stays wet that will help increase the humidity. Remember the more surface area the more humidity you can produce. Pieces of broken clay pot or other porous material in the water will help increase humidity.

I did plug the holes in the bottom. My issue was too much humidity as they began hatching and the ones not pipped yet drowned. I dont know if putting the dish rag in there will help control it better. I just dont know how to take away humidity

 

[ChooksChick]

Helllllooooooooo!!!!

I'm heading to Wichita on Saturday. I'll be at Green Acres at Bradley Fair until mid-afternoon and have to go all over doing audits, but I'd love to have dinner with some of you if you can make it. I will likely be in the 21st & Rock area. I have a BUNCH of eggs I've been collecting, some of which I've promised to Tazcat. Anyone else need anything from me?

I have a sexed pair of Konza chicks, too- but you'd have to make sure you could come get them from me before 10.

Hope everyone is doing well! Life is good here, especially now that the weather is milder. We are still in a drought and water is a PITA, but I'm optimistic. I'm buried in extra cockerels of all kinds and can't wait until Baumann's opens for the year...so if you need a roo, check with me!!

I miss you guys. I don't like not being around at all. It smurfs.

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote: Plugging the holes in the bottom can lead to too much humidity because it's designed to create air movement by hot air rising out, cool air entering in the bottom. If you don't have fresh movement, the air stagnates as well as inhibiting evaporation of the moisture in the eggs. I use dry incubation and don't add water until the first egg pips. It works really well for me!

Good luck!

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Plugging the holes in the bottom can lead to too much humidity because it's designed to create air movement by hot air rising out, cool air entering in the bottom. If you don't have fresh movement, the air stagnates as well as inhibiting evaporation of the moisture in the eggs. I use dry incubation and don't add water until the first egg pips. It works really well for me!

Good luck!

Thank you

 

[HEChicken]

I did plug the holes in the bottom. My issue was too much humidity as they began hatching and the ones not pipped yet drowned. I dont know if putting the dish rag in there will help control it better. I just dont know how to take away humidity

It sounds as though your problem is not enough ventilation. When you plugged the holes, did you create some new ones to compensate? Hatching chicks need a ton of oxygen, so an exchange of air is crucial to their successful hatch.

Helllllooooooooo!!!!

I'm heading to Wichita on Saturday. I'll be at Green Acres at Bradley Fair until mid-afternoon and have to go all over doing audits, but I'd love to have dinner with some of you if you can make it. I will likely be in the 21st & Rock area. I have a BUNCH of eggs I've been collecting, some of which I've promised to Tazcat. Anyone else need anything from me?

I have a sexed pair of Konza chicks, too- but you'd have to make sure you could come get them from me before 10.

Hope everyone is doing well! Life is good here, especially now that the weather is milder. We are still in a drought and water is a PITA, but I'm optimistic. I'm buried in extra cockerels of all kinds and can't wait until Baumann's opens for the year...so if you need a roo, check with me!!

I miss you guys. I don't like not being around at all. It smurfs.

I would love to come and have dinner with you. I am busy with DD all day but I think I will be free by dinnertime. I'll call you....

 

[chicken danz]

If you don't plug those holes you can't get the humidity up high enough. You need the additional area to add water. I never saw the purpose of the holes in the bottom because if it isn't sitting like on an open shelf air won't go through the bottom anyway. You should have vent holes on the top for bringing in and removing air and the fan also works in the air exchange. If they aren't there I'd make my own. I can only speak from using the little styros in the past.
Maidenwolf what do you mean by drowning exactly?

 

[ChooksChick]

If you don't plug those holes you can't get the humidity up high enough. You need the additional area to add water. I never saw the purpose of the holes in the bottom because if it isn't sitting like on an open shelf air won't go through the bottom anyway. You should have vent holes on the top for bringing in and removing air and the fan also works in the air exchange. If they aren't there I'd make my own. I can only speak from using the little styros in the past.
Maidenwolf what do you mean by drowning exactly?

Girlie, we need a crew from the Bionic Woman to work you over and fix you up!!! That wrist looks like it hurts. So sorry.

I think there's just a fundamental difference in how folks incubate- I always had issues with shipped eggs not losing enough moisture over the course of incubation, and they had fluid still in there when they needed to pip- they drowned. I started experimenting with dry incubation and have used it ever since. I leave all the holes wide open, don't use any water at all until the first one pips, and I use a paper towel on the rack when that happens, so I can soak it and raise humidity immediately. It's in my signature below. Different methods work for different incubators, but that always worked for me and my styros. I think it also depends on whether your eggs are shipped or local- shipped eggs seem to need less humidity as they evaporate poorly.

It all comes down to experimenting with what does or doesn't succeed for you and your incubator. I know Danz and I have hatched thousands each and we have vastly different methods, so that shows how varied results can be.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Well Josie was here and back on the road. She looks so cute! I've got to go to town a little later and take these boys in and pick up a prescription.
Pretty boy Hawkeye. I'm still all about the big birds other than my olandsk. I only have the d'uccle because people request them. I doubt I'll raise them over a year though. I tend to tire of some of these birds I don't really care about, especially when pen space is always short.
I agree Hechicken on the garden corn is a waste of space unless you can afford to plant a whole field of it. Last year we had several big rows of sweet corn at the edge of the field corn. It was a total waste. Not a single edible ear due to the drought. I've had a beautiful corn crop and had a pack of raccoons wipe it out in one night as well.
I like growing lots of tomatoes and freezing any leftovers for soup and stuff during the winter. Last year mine did nothing. More problems with the drought. I wish I could afford to change my plumbing and channel all my grey water to the garden. That would be so nice. I really really love home grown green beans. I am determined to have a decent crop this year.
I grew enough peppers last year to last for years I think. I have them chopped and frozen. I'll probably put a few more green peppers in just to have some to use fresh and to feed the birds the seeds. I think I even have some seeds I could start.
I plan to grow some more butternut squash this year. I love love love that stuff. And more sweet potatoes, and sugar pumpkins. I need to get some onions and potatoes planted early. I really should be thinking about getting this stuff done. Maybe I can get DH to attach the tiller to the tractor when he is off. It sure beats doing it by hand. Then the big garden spot which I hope to plant for the birds will be loaded with pumpkins, watermelon, squash, cucumbers etc. I'm still trying to figure out how I can keep them out of it, but allow the dogs in to keep wild life from coming in.
Hawkeye, that would be great but I'm 2 hours from the nearest airport. And from there they would go to a sorting facility. They only get mail once a day at our local post office unless it is something contracted with UPS or Fedex to bring in. If they don't get chilled they should be okay. I do worry about shipping stress. I have my chick saver and probiotics ready.
Well better get started on my list of things to get done.

bummer about your airport being so far away! I figured that was likely the case since you hadn't mentioned it. I'm very lucky here! I usually get my birds in one day-- even if they come in late, late at night. The sorting center is 24hrs, so it's never closed and they allow you to pick up anything that comes off the planes (with proper ID). Love all the gardening talk! I'm with you though-- the drought sucked last year. HATED it. I planted a ton of peppers and got none. I planted only two tomato plants (thank goodness!!) and I had a TON of them! I'm glad I didn't plant more than that. We ended up giving lots of them to the chickens, too when they'd ripen and I still have tomatoes from the day or two before. I'll do that again. I wish I knew how to can them, then I'd never have to buy tomato sauce again!

Well I'm headed back out today to try to get the other two panels put together for my pens. I have them glued together, I just have to get the chicken wire on now. My DH came home last night & looked at my panel & actually gave me a compliment on it, wow. He did go over & drag all the windows over the fence from next door. Some of them are pretty nice & others have broken glass in them, but the smaller ones you might be able to combine & get a couple good windows. We just wanted to get them before someone else did. He said while he was over there that there are still windows on the old mobile home too & that we should get those before someone breaks them. I was surprised he was so willing to go get stuff because he's usually so negative about things like that. We also got a nice round plastic table with a hole in the middle for an umbrella, it will be nice for just out under the trees, it just needs some cleaning. These people just left evidently in a hurry & left all kinds of stuff in the travel trailer drawers & everything, it's all ruined now from the weather of course. My cats were having fun playing in there yesterday. It's a real mess over there, trash everywhere. After I get what I want from there I'm going to write a letter to the guy that enforces cleanup on these kind of places in the county & tell him how much of a mess it is because the owner of the land will never clean it up unless she gets fined. Our GPs keep bringing trash over from there so every day I have new presents in the yard, now we're having to haul off their junk.

Well everyone enjoy the day! I hate to hear that it's going to get colder again, I'm so done with this winter.

YAY on the compliment from your DH! I bet that felt great! Sounds like you are doing a great job! Pictures??? I'd LOVE to see what you're doing and get some ideas for the pens I'll be creating... or at least hope so! I'm starting to feel less confident we'll be around with the events that have happened in the last few days.

Helllllooooooooo!!!!

I'm heading to Wichita on Saturday. I'll be at Green Acres at Bradley Fair until mid-afternoon and have to go all over doing audits, but I'd love to have dinner with some of you if you can make it. I will likely be in the 21st & Rock area. I have a BUNCH of eggs I've been collecting, some of which I've promised to Tazcat. Anyone else need anything from me?

I have a sexed pair of Konza chicks, too- but you'd have to make sure you could come get them from me before 10.

Hope everyone is doing well! Life is good here, especially now that the weather is milder. We are still in a drought and water is a PITA, but I'm optimistic. I'm buried in extra cockerels of all kinds and can't wait until Baumann's opens for the year...so if you need a roo, check with me!!

I miss you guys. I don't like not being around at all. It smurfs.

ME! ME!! I want to come! What time??? I just need to try to schedule it now before something else comes up-- I already have two other things going on that day with 4-H, etc.... I don't care where, either. I LOVE that area and isn't Green Acres in Bradley Fair? I rarely go in there-- I go to Food For Thought (my favorite place!!). But when I can, I like to hit the shops up there.

It sounds as though your problem is not enough ventilation. When you plugged the holes, did you create some new ones to compensate? Hatching chicks need a ton of oxygen, so an exchange of air is crucial to their successful hatch.

I would love to come and have dinner with you. I am busy with DD all day but I think I will be free by dinnertime. I'll call you....

X2!! except I don't have Renee's number.... so let me know what you guys figure up!!