Incubating and a power outage

[Poultry mum]

Probably a stupid question because I already know the answer.... But has anyone ever MADE a hen turn broody? Can such a thing happen? If I put a hen in a crate with a nesting box full of eggs, what are the odds that she might sit them?

Yes there is a 80% she will sit... mine try sitting even though I have no rooster

 

[Painted Calls]

Yes there is a 80% she will sit... mine try sitting even though I have no rooster

There's an 80% chance you'll have a bunch of broken eggs.

You cannot make a hen go broody. You can up the chances by leaving eggs in the box, but that is not a guarantee. She's also not going to see the eggs and immediately go broody and sit on them.

Mine go broody all the time too. I have a breed that is inclined to though. They also decide all on their own when they go broody.

 

[WallyG74]

Quick question.... DH just got a text message from the power company who are telling people to lower their thermostats and shut off their water heaters to avoid power outages... First of all, I am beyond annoyed that we are in 2021 and the power grid can't handle a winter snow storm? We've had MUCH worse winter weather and cold spells in the past 30 years and there was never any trouble with the power grid before?

Anyway, I have 22 eggs that are currently on Day 3. How can I keep them warm if the power company cuts power when it's frigging freezing outside?

I am so livid....

Eta - I am in Central Arkansas. We have a nuclear power plant that is 45 minutes from my house. We have not had any power issues at all so I don't know why the power company is suddenly threatening people to cut off power

I was told in another post that the eggs can make it up to 12 hours during a power outage. We actually were out for 3 hours yesterday. The temp in NR360 got down to about 80F but the humidity shot up to 95%. We’ll have to see what happens. Today is day 14.

 

[TJAnonymous]

they haven't mentioned there will be a power outage. The text message clearly states they want to avoid a power outage and are asking for help to make that happen.
It is strange for sure, like why do they feel like people are using too much power. Maybe everyone is heating excessively - the grid is at full capacity and if it continues they are worried something will give and it's too cold for them to want to do repairs so are asking peolpe to use less electricity and if that happens there won't be a power outage.

Right...same question I've been asking. We have TWO power plants in this state. One nuclear, one coal powered. There shouldn't be any reason why there is a sudden power shortage. The only thing I can think of is that they are using the power regionally (beyond just my state). I know that west Texas relies heavily on wind power and over half their wind farms broke down because the cold caused the turbines to freeze up. So I'm wondering if neighboring states, such as ours, are supplementing power for essential services such as hospitals, etc... in neighboring states. Which is fine...I have no problem with that. But why not TELL people that instead of just sending a blanket statement threatening power outages if people don't lower their usage?

 

[TJAnonymous]

I was told in another post that the eggs can make it up to 12 hours during a power outage. We actually were out for 3 hours yesterday. The temp in NR360 got down to about 80F but the humidity shot up to 95%. We’ll have to see what happens. Today is day 14.

Is that the case when the temperature has dropped below zero outside? Of course, they are indoors and my house is insulated but I can imagine that the inside temperature will drop down into the 40s or 30s if we lose power for an extended period of time.

Right now I'm leaning towards using the box of Hot Hands warmers that I have as a backup if we lose power. I can keep the eggs in the incubator, put the Hot Hands on top of them, close the incubator, and wrap it in blankets. That's the only thing I can think of to extend the warmth inside the incubator for a day or two if we lose power.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Eta - I am in Central Arkansas. We have a nuclear power plant that is 45 minutes from my house. We have not had any power issues at all so I don't know why the power company is suddenly threatening people to cut off power

Arkansas shares the power grid with a number of other States. Almost the whole of the Nation is suffering unusually severe weather, and a substantial portion of the power generation normally present is now offline. TX, for instance, has installed a tremendous amount of wind and solar - which normally are pretty reliable, but are currently ether frozen or buried under snow, providing nothing to the grid. there is no significant source of "storage", nor could it supply such a severe and persistent load.

TX is not alone in those choices.

This is not meant to be political. There are no easy answers, merely trade-offs. Coal plants have become increasingly uneconomical to operate, both due to greatly reduced costs of natural gas (courtesy "fracking") and increasingly expensive mandatory emissions capturing technologies, plus difficulties with disposal of (comparatively) heavily radioactive coal ash. Natural gas plants (or converted coal) have taken on a lot of that supply, supplemented by less reliable, but lower carbon, cheaper to operate wind and solar. The nation has an aversion to Nuclear, aggravated by disposal problems of its own - Yuca Mountain containment is now, what, 50 years delayed? The system is designed so that as some sources go offline during periods of either calm or extreme winds, overnight, etc, other plants spin up to provide power and transfer it across the grid. But when a weather event this widespread occurs, it overwhelms the ability of non-affected plants to meet the increased needs

As well, the nations population continues to grow relative to where it was 20, 30, 60 years ago when most of these plants were contemplated, permitted, and built. Per capita power consumption is growing too - which will only grow further as the nation shifts from gasoline to electric vehicles. CA is leading the charge by insisting it can "supplement" its inadequate power generation by draining the batteries of electric vehicles during periods of high usage, which sort of begs the question of when those vehicles will actually get charged...

tl;dr: "Growing Pains"

My wife and I live in an RV in the country, high winds take local power lines down (ours are buried) frequently. I've lost power several times while incubating with only limited difficulties/adverse effect - but never more than a few hours, and at temps around 40-50, not sub freezing.

I wish you and yours all the best. Stay safe, and our hopes for a successful hatching.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Arkansas shares the power grid with a number of other States. Almost the whole of the Nation is suffering unusually severe weather, and a substantial portion of the power generation normally present is now offline. TX, for instance, has installed a tremendous amount of wind and solar - which normally are pretty reliable, but are currently ether frozen or buried under snow, providing nothing to the grid. there is no significant source of "storage", nor could it supply such a severe and persistent load.

TX is not alone in those choices.

This is not meant to be political. There are no easy answers, merely trade-offs. Coal plants have become increasingly uneconomical to operate, both due to greatly reduced costs of natural gas (courtesy "fracking") and increasingly expensive mandatory emissions capturing technologies, plus difficulties with disposal of (comparatively) heavily radioactive coal ash. Natural gas plants (or converted coal) have taken on a lot of that supply, supplemented by less reliable, but lower carbon, cheaper to operate wind and solar. The nation has an aversion to Nuclear, aggravated by disposal problems of its own - Yuca Mountain containment is now, what, 50 years delayed? The system is designed so that as some sources go offline during periods of either calm or extreme winds, overnight, etc, other plants spin up to provide power and transfer it across the grid. But when a weather event this widespread occurs, it overwhelms the ability of non-affected plants to meet the increased needs

As well, the nations population continues to grow relative to where it was 20, 30, 60 years ago when most of these plants were contemplated, permitted, and built. Per capita power consumption is growing too - which will only grow further as the nation shifts from gasoline to electric vehicles. CA is leading the charge by insisting it can "supplement" its inadequate power generation by draining the batteries of electric vehicles during periods of high usage, which sort of begs the question of when those vehicles will actually get charged...

tl;dr: "Growing Pains"

My wife and I live in an RV in the country, high winds take local power lines down (ours are buried) frequently. I've lost power several times while incubating with only limited difficulties/adverse effect - but never more than a few hours, and at temps around 40-50, not sub freezing.

I wish you and yours all the best. Stay safe, and our hopes for a successful hatching.

I am on a national disaster resiliency board that is part of a private sector/public sector partnership with the federal govt. I worked in the utility industry for 15 years as an engineer before moving into the security/cybersecurity industry. I also worked as part of private sector working group with emergency management & FEMA for nearly a decade. Trust me when I say that I am well aware of the shortcomings of our critical infrastructure. Not just in electrical, but many other necessities - water, communications, agriculture, etc. I'm not a "doomsday prepper" by any means but the vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure is directly related to me trying to have some functional capabilities to operate off the grid for short periods of time. This is also why I have chickens, ducks, goats, etc.... In my previous house, I had two fireplaces which could heat the entire house if the power went out. However, I moved to a new place last year and don't have that luxury anymore. I would like to add a wood burning fireplace inside the new house, but put off the expense because covid made the market unstable and I didn't know if I would lose my job or not. I was one of the lucky few who didn't. Regardless, I do have a propane heater and could keep myself & my family relatively comfortable if we do lose power but I simply didn't have a plan for the incubator. Late last night I was looking up oil lamp incubators. I have oil lamps so maybe its an option but I am not sure I want to build something last minute without really knowing what I'm doing. It could put my family and the eggs in jeopardy. At least with the Hot Hands, I don't run the risk of killing my family in the process.

 

[featherhead007]

I didn't think of those.... I have an entire box of them although they are 2 yrs old, I think. They MIGHT even be the extended heat ones that work for 8-10 hrs or something like that. I guess if that's all I have, it is worth a try!

Let's just keep our hopes up that they don't cut the power!

 

[TJAnonymous]

My thoughts EXACTLY!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

In a modern build, tight as houses are becoming, not sure I'd want to go oil lamps, either. Too bad you can't use a chimney-style charcoal starter just outside the door, in a garage, or other non living space, to heat some salt, use it as a source of thermal mass...