DIY Thread - Let's see your "Inventions".

[perchie.girl]

Quote:

Thank you!. I made a long trough with 1 1/2 inch holes, but flat on top w/ a hinge - they can go down so far and then can't reach the food and I ended up just opening the top and there goes the food again... it's about 1 1/2 inches deep.

I'm going to keep trying because feed is expensive!

And BTW, can anyone tell me about how much I should be feeding adult chickens? 10 White rocks, 4 Golden Comets, 1 EE Roo, and 1 EE hen. Don't know if they're mixed breeds or not, but this is what they look like! They're going on about 2 years old. (Just found that out today.) Seems I'm going through 50 lbs of feed too fast.

I use hanging feeders the kind that hold twenty five pounds each. they get filled once a week for 14 Welsummers which are LF.

I also feed the occasional squirrel and wild bird but i rarely see the hens throwing feed out unless they are digging for something extra mixed in. I feed Scratch on the ground so they will stir up the bedding.... I feed other stuff occasionally but I dont mix it in with the Lay pellets.

deb

 

[LittleBits]

Here is the picture of the feeding trough that I made. Maybe I should just make the hole bigger. It's outside for now and under the shelter. I have other pictures on here of a shelter I made, but that one didn't have any sides, so I made this one - bigger to accommodate the longer trough. But when the lid is raised, the food gets thrown out...

 

[ozexpat]

The new megabator



STC-1000 220VAC thermostat (its built in the Philippines where 220V is standard current)
3 fans on the front side of right wall
3 fans on the rear side of left wall
2 x 300W halogen work lights

Turner is a frame with 2 see-saw trays attached with 6 inch nails as pins. The two trays are linked with a piece of lumber and pins. move one - move all.

Trays are 27x 38 inside diameter. Frame built around those dimensions

Cabinet built around turner dimensions as well as plywood being already 48 wide.

final dimensions
sides 36 x 48
rear 48 x 48
top 37.5x48

The lights are in the bottom to encourage heat circulation.

As ambient humidity is 88% and Air temp 88-92F, I use to mini dehumidifiers to reduce the humidity from in the 60s to low 40s during the non-lock-down period.

Capacity with 2 shelves - 360 Chicken Eggs - plus floor space

I have aprox 260 chicken 78 Cotornix 36 turkey 24 Guinea Flowl 14 goose 13 Peafowl incubating now. The coturnix are on an LG turner on the floor. The goose are manually turned separately. I put 15 scovy and 6 goose eggs under broody muscovy hens.

Capacity with 4 shelves - 720 Chicken eggs - a man would have to be crazy to hatch 720 eggs LOL

 

[loveourbirds]

The new megabator



STC-1000 220VAC thermostat (its built in the Philippines where 220V is standard current)
3 fans on the front side of right wall
3 fans on the rear side of left wall
2 x 300W halogen work lights

Turner is a frame with 2 see-saw trays attached with 6 inch nails as pins. The two trays are linked with a piece of lumber and pins. move one - move all.

Trays are 27x 38 inside diameter. Frame built around those dimensions

Cabinet built around turner dimensions as well as plywood being already 48 wide.

final dimensions
sides 36 x 48
rear 48 x 48
top 37.5x48

The lights are in the bottom to encourage heat circulation.

As ambient humidity is 88% and Air temp 88-92F, I use to mini dehumidifiers to reduce the humidity from in the 60s to low 40s during the non-lock-down period.

Capacity with 2 shelves - 360 Chicken Eggs - plus floor space

I have aprox 260 chicken 78 Cotornix 36 turkey 24 Guinea Flowl 14 goose 13 Peafowl incubating now. The coturnix are on an LG turner on the floor. The goose are manually turned separately. I put 15 scovy and 6 goose eggs under broody muscovy hens.

Capacity with 4 shelves - 720 Chicken eggs - a man would have to be crazy to hatch 720 eggs LOL

I guess you can call me "crazy", how long have you been running it? any ideas on hatch rates? im thinking of building a 1000-1500 egg incubator with separate hatcher. is your temperature pretty consistant in that cabinet?

 

[aart]

So what do y'all do with that many hatchlings??? Sell them as hatchlings?, replacement layers?, meat production?....or just because you can?

 

[ozexpat]

So what do y'all do with that many hatchlings??? Sell them as hatchlings?, replacement layers?, meat production?....or just because you can?

I am doing a couple of multi breed hatches on eggs I import from USA to the Philippines. Its easier to do all around in bulk.

 

[ozexpat]

I guess you can call me "crazy", how long have you been running it? any ideas on hatch rates? im thinking of building a 1000-1500 egg incubator with separate hatcher. is your temperature pretty consistant in that cabinet?

This is its maiden hatch but I have built many with similar building materials, thermostats, fans and heating methods.

One week in the temps are rock solid.

 

[aart]

I am doing a couple of multi breed hatches on eggs I import from USA to the Philippines. Its easier to do all around in bulk.

But what will you DO with all those chickies?!?

 

[ozexpat]

But what will you DO with all those chickies?!?

Coturnix - Initiate the Texas A&M variety in the Philippines. Sell both eggs and birds
Chickens - Develop breeding groups. Decide which breeds do best in local environment. \
Guinea Fowl - Initiate white GF in Philippines. Use them as free rangers to eat bugs/rodents. Sell breeding trios in the future
Turkey - Develop sustainable breeding groups for personal consumption.Sell breeding trios in the future
Geese - Develop sustainable breeding groups for personal consumption.Sell breeding pairs in the future
Peafowl - Develop sustainable breeding groups.Sell breeding trios in the future

I will eat a lot of roos

 

[Jharper]

I used an old Rubbermaid bin as a brooder for the first 4 - 5 weeks. After fumbling with cardboard boxes and wire racks as lids for the first week, I put together this simple frame with chicken wire and a piece of pine trim. Now I can see what they are doing and keep them from jumping out. It's also easier to position the brooder lamp according to their temp needs. This pic also shows the 65 cent funnels (Walmart automotive dept) I used to keep them off of the feeders.

That's what I do. Never leave geese in it for more than a week b/c they can jump out easily! They grow so fast!!!