Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[maryhysong]

we hope so

waiting for earth to rotate about 30 more degrees so dawn breaks on monday in the Philippines.

If the quail are a bust, I will just take 120 more. We will do this till we win.

Go Oz Go! I know you will figure it out and win in the end!

Yes, your humidity was probably too high during incubation. Maybe you can make a room for the bators with the dehumidifier in it, then roll them into another room for hatching? (Understanding that you are in a very humid area... you probably don't hardly need any water in there for hatch time! )

 

[ozexpat]

Go Oz Go! I know you will figure it out and win in the end!

Yes, your humidity was probably too high during incubation. Maybe you can make a room for the bators with the dehumidifier in it, then roll them into another room for hatching? (Understanding that you are in a very humid area... you probably don't hardly need any water in there for hatch time! )

I have not given up hope on the chickens yet. its only just into day 21 and I got a 50% hatch during the wet season last trip.

I found a mini dehumidifier that I think I can rig directly into the bator and also found a humidstat that will switch it on and off like a thermostat does with a heat source. It will set between 30 and 90% so I can get pretty low. There is no way I can run a full blown dehumidifier like those in american basements - I do not have the closed environment to do it nor wish to waste such huge amounts of energy

I may have to turn my walk in closet into a sauna in SoCal to simulate the environment in my bator house but I will work out how to do this with great hatch rates.

Cotournix do not go broody so we have to get very good at hatching these little buggers.

 

[perchie.girl]

Is it possible to use one of those moisture absorber containers like you put in closets. They come in a plastic bucket you open the top and it sucks the moisture out of the air. If you leave them un attended they become saturated. Put one in monitor the humidity pull it out when it gets too low. Or rig a moveable cover to open and shut it when you need to pull the moisture down.....?

The ones I had for my tack room were about the size of a Cottage cheese conainer...

deb

 

[maryhysong]

I have not given up hope on the chickens yet. its only just into day 21 and I got a 50% hatch during the wet season last trip.

I found a mini dehumidifier that I think I can rig directly into the bator and also found a humidstat that will switch it on and off like a thermostat does with a heat source. It will set between 30 and 90% so I can get pretty low. There is no way I can run a full blown dehumidifier like those in american basements - I do not have the closed environment to do it nor wish to waste such huge amounts of energy

I may have to turn my walk in closet into a sauna in SoCal to simulate the environment in my bator house but I will work out how to do this with great hatch rates.

Cotournix do not go broody so we have to get very good at hatching these little buggers.

Well I wasn't sure about all of your set up there. I think your mini dehumidifier might just work out well with that humidstat. If you can pull the humidity down to 30% for incubation then I think you will see better hatch rates. I know that since I"ve been keeping mine 20-30% my hatch rates have gone up quite a bit. I'm still working out the kinks in my set up too; I have some really big chicken eggs, almost as big as my duck eggs and they have a hard time because they don't dry down enough when I am setting them with small eggs. So I"m going to experiment with setting the big ones separate the first week with a lower humidity and see if I can get the air cells bigger before lock down. Although todays hatch was 2 out of 3 for one hens set and 3 out of 4 for the other hen, I'd love to get it 100%

 

[ozexpat]

Is it possible to use one of those moisture absorber containers like you put in closets. They come in a plastic bucket you open the top and it sucks the moisture out of the air. If you leave them un attended they become saturated. Put one in monitor the humidity pull it out when it gets too low. Or rig a moveable cover to open and shut it when you need to pull the moisture down.....?

The ones I had for my tack room were about the size of a Cottage cheese conainer...

deb

possibly

what i really need to do is make my incubator as automated as possible.

the dehumidifier and humidistat will set me back about 80 dollars or 30 cents an egg for one hatch. If I couple them with a good digital thermostat, it really should be set and forget, with a candling at day 18, just like the hatcheries do.

Its still only a few hours into day 21. I have banned all from the bator house until tomorrow morning. Now its in the lap of the Gods and the electrical company.

 

[OffGridMAMA]

Just caught up! Wow lots goin on my friend.. hope the chicks come through strong for you tomorrow

I had a wonderful birthday with my family

 

[ozexpat]

Just caught up! Wow lots goin on my friend.. hope the chicks come through strong for you tomorrow

I had a wonderful birthday with my family

Happy Birthday OGM

 

[piglett]

I use this model and am very happy with accuracy. I had to calibrate each remote but now I am good to go.

if i can calibrate it then that might be the hot setup!
i thought it was fixed & whatever it was it was.
looks like i have another project


thanks OZ

 

[ozexpat]

if i can calibrate it then that might be the hot setup!
i thought it was fixed & whatever it was it was.
looks like i have another project


thanks OZ

Just like you calibrated the thermometer you used now - you compare the readings. I have two bators running with a remote in each in LA. the A remote reads 100.2, the B remote measures 99.9. when side by side in the same bator. A hospital grade thermometer reads 99.9. Close enough for me. I use the salt in a ziploc method to calibrate humidity. one is 4% higher than other. i make adjustments based on these known parameters

 

[CayuseRanch]

Curious...can you put cotornix eggs under a broody hen?