Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Chicken Eggs for incubation and hatching

[CasieD]

Well I think I got my very first broody hen...and it's not me LOL she is screaming at us and the other chickens...hope it works out...It has been real cold past week here in New Hampshire. 20 degrees last night...but not in the coop lowest its been in there is 30 and that is with a heat lamp and I have an electric heater that runs 7 hours at a time. I keep going out there every 7 hours to start it up again...its a real pain in the butt but if I go out at 11pm its good til 6am BUT its still so COLD! Water is freezing, so we need to bring fresh water every morning. They have tons of hay. I hate winter now! Any ideas on how to keep the flock warmer? Or are they ok? They are in a solid coop

We've been in the single digits or below zero here for a week. We don't add any heat to our coops, just use heated water bases to keep their water ice free. They have all been just fine and I'm getting plenty of eggs yet too! Chickens can handle low temps a lot better than we think.

 

[kelly77]

Between the heater and the lamp and each other's body heat they should be O.K. As long as the coop stays dry inside and they don't get cold draughts. Chickens are way tougher that we give them credit for!
No comment on the broody

We've already established that chickens and their hormones have the worst timing. I've had broody hatches in winter and we had no problems. But then our winters was much warmer than yours! It did go below freezing some nights, but the moms did a good job keeping the little ones warm.

Well I hope she will know what to do being a first time mama lol. The coop is dry except for a small area near the duck water...I did have a draft but I hopefully fixed it. My chickens are small bantam Silkies thats why I worry so much about them but they are little heaters lol. I am always checking under their wings to insure their body is warm. Which it has been. Do their feet get cold???

 

[kelly77]

We've been in the single digits or below zero here for a week. We don't add any heat to our coops, just use heated water bases to keep their water ice free. They have all been just fine and I'm getting plenty of eggs yet too! Chickens can handle low temps a lot better than we think.

Well I read in your signature you have 23 full size or bigger breed chickens...I only have 4 little Silkies.. lol I can't imagine them having no heat, but this is coming from the person that kept chickens in the house for 7 months..until the rooster made it impossible lol then I had to let them go and be real chickens haha

 

[kelly77]

CUTE!

 

[CasieD]

Quote: Ah ha... yes, for 4 little silkies I probably would do the same! Sorry, didn't see your signature.

 

[Roxannemc]

Rockshelle your assist was very detailed i am sure it will help many assisters in the future

She's doing GREAT! She pushes her way through her siblings to food/water and is now in the brooder full time. I'm going to take the sandals off tomorrow and check her progress. You'd never guess she's wearing them she gets around so well. I did make a handichick ramp for her to get up to food. Lol!

I'll take some more pictures tonight when I get home. I'm at work... YUCK!!!

 

[Roxannemc]

So this is going to be our first hatch on Friday. We have 35 eggs in the Bator and 6 are due to hatch Friday. We work 9-5 everyday. So if the chicks hatch while we're at work are they going to be ok in the Bator till we get home? What are some good tips?

Dont worry...You cant do a thing anyway as the bator needs to be kept shut while hatch is going on so better to be at work come home to it all cheeps and cracks and zips!!GOOD LUCK..
Good tip is dont open it until there are no eggd with the star cracks the chicks make to start to get out or you could shrink wrap them
. That many you may want to take some chicks out as they will knock the eggs around but they need to tbe dry first and your incubator humidity needs to be raised first to your highest level you are us ing so the other eggs dont shirnk wrapg
Get the chicks out fast as you safely can.GOOD LUCK!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Well a few of us were talking in a private message about Sally's article which she can post when finished. The topic came up on how to clean/sterilize the incubator. I asked what to you clean it with? Chemicals? Non-toxic? and Sparky said this. I just thought the convo should be moved here so everyone can add opinions and ideas. I love the copper idea.

Sparkypatriot15
Yesterday at 6:45 pm​

Oh, for the bator cleaning thing, I found that if you scatter pennies around the floor of the incubator, it kills the mold and bacteria, cause pennies are coated in copper and copper creates an un-livable habitat for bacteria and kills them almost instantly but is completely safe for eggs​

http://www.copper.org/antimicrobial/properties/multimedia/homepage.html




PROOF of Copper Killing the Bacteria!!

YA MUST WATCH THIS VIDEO


Now~ I am ASSUMING that we MUST use pennies BEFORE 1982 because of the copper content????

someone researching this??? I know pennies made after that have not near the copper.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: I ALWAYS use 2x4's or larger on their SIDES for the reason of keeping them warm at night on roost....

I am in pa and it also has been 20's girls are fine, dont like snow so I threw some straw down for a path

we do have a 60W bulb on a timer for laying, other than that notta...

Silkies in the "dog box" I have a rigged light also on a timer, their water has not frozen yet, as the other three coops water freezes every night....

can you see this 7 dollar light rig from Lowes!! he he he!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Well I think I got my very first broody hen...and it's not me LOL she is screaming at us and the other chickens...hope it works out...It has been real cold past week here in New Hampshire. 20 degrees last night...but not in the coop lowest its been in there is 30 and that is with a heat lamp and I have an electric heater that runs 7 hours at a time. I keep going out there every 7 hours to start it up again...its a real pain in the butt but if I go out at 11pm its good til 6am BUT its still so COLD! Water is freezing, so we need to bring fresh water every morning. They have tons of hay. I hate winter now! Any ideas on how to keep the flock warmer? Or are they ok? They are in a solid coop

I could live in that! CAN I MOVE WITH then????