EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[ChickenCanoe]

They do come off before, but there are places to go. Last night they just kept coming back to each other after separating. Like I said I forced a time out last night. I had hoped they would stop arguing while I was there to stop it if it got bad. I don't know why anyone would want to watch cocks fight it is not cool.
They have been near each other for three days through the cage. Once it opens there is lots of space. Until then there are several ways to hide even in the coop. Unfortunately, I am not sure if either would be inclined to hide. If all goes well though, they will be ok in the spring when they each have a group and free range. I don't plan on any new cockerels except in my HRIR group if I raise a good one in the spring, but they are in a separate coop.

No it isn't cool to see at all.
One year I put all the roosters in a pen/coop together for winter and it went pretty well. I put a little heat on them to keep the coop above 10F.
The next year I decided to do it again but it didn't go well. I did it at night like the previous year but I didn't have good roosts in that building. So when I turned the light on they all went at each other. I needed about 10 hands. I grabbed one rooster and held him while I tried to get a divider between the others.
I ended up putting most of them back in their respective buildings. You just never know how it will go.

 

[chicken hawk 33]

What are some great hatcheries to order guineas

 

[dan26552]

I haven't had the chance to eat rabbits yet. How do they taste?

Sad thing is, me neither. . I let you know when we do have one.

Mike mentioned her being out of data.

Ah. Just checking.

Never saw it.

How about, 'You might be a redneck if you were born in Alaska, moved to Washington and finally to the Ozark foothills in SW MO and singlehandedly built a farm'.

I'm sure I'll come up with something. All I have to do is look around me. 

Jeff Foxwothy was my brother's favorite comedian.
I'm more of a Rodney Dangerfield, Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, Ali Wong kind of fan.

canned salmon is 25+ cents per ounce, mackerel is 10.
For chickens and trapping coons, that's the way to go.
If I remember correctly, a friend that has a locavore farm had consulted with a poultry nutritionist who told her she could go up to 5% fishmeal in the feed before there is an issue. You may want to test that number.

Those are perfect. Indestructible. I used to put a birdbath heater in them which worked well but as you said, you can just beat the hell out of them to get the ice out.

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Congrats. Are you using proportional or on/off output control to the heat element?

I bought 2 of the Farm Innovators 3 gallon heated water founts. They worked but that's all the good I can say about them. They are the most poorly designed piece of poultry equipment I've ever owned.
I had one hanging in a tree all winter and it kept the water thawed so it did its job.
If the power goes out, the water tray will freeze and when power comes back on, the water inside will thaw but not warm enough to thaw the water pan so it is still solid ice.
I've filled my boots with water (at zero degrees) more times than I was able to fill it and get it hung successfully.
The reservoir portion is extremely thin and flimsy plastic. It screws on to the heated base like most founts but the tabs are too short and narrow so that if there's much weight, it just pulls off the base soaking you. So even though it is a 3 gallon, don't dare put more than 2 gallons in it and expect to turn it over without it coming apart.
It is supposed to hang but the handle was poorly designed and didn't hang level so the water would all pour out. In order to get it to hang properly, I had to drill a hole in the handle and install a hook in it.
I got them out to use on a couple coops a couple weeks ago when this deep freeze was moving in. I brought the first one into the kitchen and cleaned it thoroughly, I put 2 gallons of water in it and was carrying it out when the top shattered into a dozen pieces filling the hallway with water.
I went to get the second one and tapped the top with my finger to test it and my finger went right through.
Junk.

I went on a rant to them and apparently they partially redesigned it.

Introducing while free ranging works pretty good. However, I think it works better when they both already have their established harem. Then they usually stick with their flock and don't interact.
Adding a bird to an established flock is always a problem regardless of sex.

It was clever. Eventually it becomes second nature and one doesn't have to think about it any more.

I've become quite the expert at draining hoses when it drops to freezing. It takes all day to thaw a hose at 35.

It's a chicken. Sorry for being flippant but there are dozens of breeds/varieties that look like that at that age.
Can you narrow it down for us?

Lots of ways to build one but I'm beginning to embrace the Arduino.
I have plans to use them for automatic doors, coop lighting, heated auto water, as well as incubators.

I have one recommendation for a refrigerator or any similar sized incubator is to design it sufficiently to get the heat to the bottom. Whether that be heat element placement, fans, ducting or whatever. Otherwise anything too tall will have thermal stratification. Top racks will be warmer than bottom racks.

My all time favorite thermometer is this Thermoworks one which is accurate to ±0.9°F with adjustable calibration.
http://www.thermoworks.com/RT301WA
A Brinsea spot check is extremely accurate but I prefer the Thermoworks one because the Brinsea, while accurate, if it falls outside a narrow range it just reads L or H for low or high. So you don't know how low or how high.

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As in, a high point?

Bud has been my choice since returning from Germany. No Lutz Bier here.
Are you a Stroh's guy?

I haven't watched a down of football this year. Was a fan till the Rams left.

Are those the people with black Penedesencas?

X2
If it's already humid, closing up the coop just makes it worse.
Unless heated, by 5AM it will be just as cold inside as out whether it is closed up or not.

On/off.

Yeah, they were discussing that and the best way to build turners last night

Ok.

 

[FaerieChicken]

Good morning all!
Great news, I finally cleaned and fired up my new incubator for the first time! It's been heating since about 2 pm PST yesterday. I have my extra hygro/thermo in there also, it's not working, I think I broke it! It's stuck at 10% humidity, no matter where I put it.
Below are pics of the current reading of the bator. I noticed it fluctuating temp between 98.5 and 99.5. I hadn't added the water until about it 11 pm last night, before I did, it was at 24%, it's now at 45% is this good?

I'd also like to ask, would any old rocks work for heat sinks, or are there a certain type that is best? Is there a better way to add water since the Wells are right in the center and the eggs would be in the way, or is it OK to get the eggs a little wet? 1 last question, sorry guys, the other reason I ask, is I have to take the lid completely off to add water, and it let's heat escape to about 10*....

 

[FaerieChicken]

Perhaps the extra one I got is almost accurate with heat as it said 37.7 c a few secs ago 37.8 c and the machine is fluctuating between 98.5 f and 99.5 f

 

[Akrnaf2]

Bubbles THIS is for you!

[VIDEO]

 

[Beer can]

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Bud has been my choice since returning from Germany. No Lutz Bier here.
Are you a Stroh's guy?

Labbat or Molsen ice, only because I get them for .99 cents a 24oz can :-D
If I have the $$ prefer mostly pale ales and on occasion stouts. So many many great local micro breweries here, and a couple big one's.
A lot of the stores here have a pick your own six for $9.99, nice cause you can try many different ones, anything from our many local beers to rare imports, micro beers from other states, many different hard ciders.
Saranac is great brewed in a huge brewery they're the old Utica Club brewery, one of the original old breweries that survived by going to micro style beers many yrs ago. I put them right up there with Sam Adams, many varieties, they also bottle a lot for others. They still brew their old Utica Club lager, hard to find unless your near Utica, downright nasty stuff.
Near the Cooperstown baseball hall of fame there is a big brewery was independent owned now owned by Duvel Belgium. They brew quit a few belgian style ales that are flavor bombs.
Also brew my own on occasion.

 

[BullChick]

Abi, tell Duckling I'm not coming off the sun porch until those spiders are locked up.

Have fun out there!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sad thing is, me neither.

. I let you know when we do have one.
Ah. Just checking.

On/off.

Yeah, they were discussing that and the best way to build turners last night

Ok.

I still haven't come up with a design for an auto turner. I'd like to link 4 or 5 trays.

Good morning all!
Great news, I finally cleaned and fired up my new incubator for the first time! It's been heating since about 2 pm PST yesterday. I have my extra hygro/thermo in there also, it's not working, I think I broke it! It's stuck at 10% humidity, no matter where I put it.
Below are pics of the current reading of the bator. I noticed it fluctuating temp between 98.5 and 99.5. I hadn't added the water until about it 11 pm last night, before I did, it was at 24%, it's now at 45% is this good?



I'd also like to ask, would any old rocks work for heat sinks, or are there a certain type that is best? Is there a better way to add water since the Wells are right in the center and the eggs would be in the way, or is it OK to get the eggs a little wet? 1 last question, sorry guys, the other reason I ask, is I have to take the lid completely off to add water, and it let's heat escape to about 10*....

Any rocks or other things that are clean so smooth work best.
Some kind of funnel. Best not to get eggs wet.
A hen gets off the nest almost daily and heat escapes, so that is natural.

 

[chicken hawk 33]

Need some guineas