INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Here's the "business end". Not shown, obviously, is the top; nothing more than the top of the pipe with a rubber cap on top. Since I didn't glue anything, I set it on the brick to make sure the weight of the feed doesn't pop the plug....also facilitates cleanout if needed. I made 2 modifications: I went with 4" pipe instead of 3", only because I screwed up at Lowes. I'm glad I did, though; it holds more feed, and it's easier to fill a 4" pipe with a feed scoop. The other modification was to cut 2" off the top & inserting it into the "Y" so the birds have to reach further for feed; otherwise, they'll fling it out with their beaks. The pic shows it without the 2" extension; you can see how easy it was to fling feed out. Since I put the extension in, I've had, literally, zero wasted feed in the 4-5 months I've had it in use. Greatest invention since sex!

That's what I thought it would look like. I want something to accommodate more birds at once. The month olds clammer over who gets to eat out of the 7 lb feeder, and can't imagine how much worse it'll get in the next week or two!

Uhm... I think I'll have to argue that last statement. Just saying...

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Here's the "business end". Not shown, obviously, is the top; nothing more than the top of the pipe with a rubber cap on top. Since I didn't glue anything, I set it on the brick to make sure the weight of the feed doesn't pop the plug....also facilitates cleanout if needed. I made 2 modifications: I went with 4" pipe instead of 3", only because I screwed up at Lowes. I'm glad I did, though; it holds more feed, and it's easier to fill a 4" pipe with a feed scoop. The other modification was to cut 2" off the top & inserting it into the "Y" so the birds have to reach further for feed; otherwise, they'll fling it out with their beaks. The pic shows it without the 2" extension; you can see how easy it was to fling feed out. Since I put the extension in, I've had, literally, zero wasted feed in the 4-5 months I've had it in use. Greatest invention since sex!

really? lol

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

really? lol

Yes, really! The extension makes the chickens have to reach farther down to...

Ohhhhhh... never mind!

 

[shahtir101]

hey sweets! what up with the last of your eggs?

One has a pip, it is made the hole a little bigger, I think another is wiggling!

 

[LocalYokel]

That's what I had in mind, but hadn't settled on a final design until now. Thanks, whites. 

You'll absolutely love a heat plate compared to heat lamp(s). Chicks a SOOOOOOOOOO much calmer with no glaring light, and it virtually eliminates any fire hazard. Money well spent IMO!!!

I suppose the pics can be a bit deceiving... but it's plenty big enough for any amount of chicks I'll be brooding in it. There are 15 on the left side, and the 7 on the right makes that side look barren...   

I know what you mean. I'm not used to this eerie silence in my office. I don't like it...   

Yeh I was thinking energy savings too.

I just switched my girls lights in their coops to led
It was a sale.
Sadly it was more than too fidduh

2 lights (60w equivalent) for 4 bucks. Only use 9 w!
All 4 use less than one 40w, which is nice.
I DETEST those curly CFL

 

[LocalYokel]

If you have easy access to it, I'd like to see it. I'm open to options, as my plans tend to change several times before I end up with a final product.   

And no... I haven't left yet. I decided to wait another hour before leaving. My wife will be home by then, and I thought I'd ask her if she wanted to go. We can make a date out of going to Lowe's, so she's obviously not high-maintenance...   

Put on yer good clothes love we going to the lowes!

Really John boy? You don't let me go to town often!

 

[LocalYokel]

no processing today, my dodge parts came and husband is using the garage.  So i hung in the cold with the chickens and decided I have alot more to process than I thought.  My layer coop has too many hens, so the older few are going too.  All the coops need cleaned again, dang mud is worse than chicken poops!

Yeh, I don't call em Mopars no more.....





More like MoParts!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

CHICKS Wet? Sticky? Stuck? I wrote this when discussing some things about call ducks this mornin... sharing here.


There are two types of sticky chicks

Sticky embryos, BIG Wet, or Mushy Chicks (embryos may be smeared with egg contents / yolk residual present) (yellow jelly/jello or other fluids) HOWEVER, a green and gray tinted fluid can be caused from osteomylitis or meconium)
causes: any/all combination of the following:
high average incubation humidity
low incubation temperature
lack of sufficient ventilation
too many drafts of outside air in the hatcher
BREED ISSUES: Always avoid cross breeding in breeds that carry lethal genes.
are we aware of Lethal genes for this breed of duck Rav?



Quote:

Embryos sticking or adhering to shell
causes: in any/all combination of the following:
Low incubation humidity (especially during hatching)
Excessive ventilation~ reduce rate but maintain minimum air exchange to prevent suffocation of embryos.


To confuse you a bit more, the amount of water that a chick has in its own tissues (not the albumen) has been shown to increase during incubation under perfect conditions; however, rate of egg water loss is found to have no effect on embryonic water, how could this be if we get big wet chicks from high humidity? Makes you think outside the box, perhaps it is in fact LOW TEMPS not the hearsay on humidity? Although AGAIN combination is usually the factor.


TEMPERATURE: Incubation temperature is one the most critical factors during embryo development, AGAIN studies have shown the optimum temperature is more 99.9. NOT FORGETTING that also its optimal to drop in temps during hatch, as I suggest in my article Hatching Eggs 101 in the lower day 18 section. So it may be worth a shot for you, and I am not clear on your temps or calibration, Hammond found that a bit higher incubation temps increase chick initial body weight believe it or not, at the higher temp 99.9 the higher the rate of egg water loss in the first 16 days of incubation. What I have found is when I incubate at a slightly elevated temp 100.5 calibrated I have much cleaner hatches. They found that its the opposite with low temps, body weight of chicks were less. Then you get into the additional factors of adding low high temps with humidity and ventilation.... Best we can do is work these areas to achieve absolute and relative weights. IN KNOWING THAT and then factor in that EACH EGG & breeds are different in age, air cell size, genetics etc.

I run at 100.5 calibrated spot on temps, rotating eggs n the bator often.

Researchers have found that lowering temperatures will prolong incubation,
HOWEVER it is favorable to do so at the end of incubation.
Day 19 & 20 Temp Min 98.0 Max 98.5
Day 21 Temp Min 97 Max 98.0
for more information please refer here:
PAGE 42
http://www.hubbardbreeders.com/media/incubation_guide_english__030374800_0945_07012015.pdf​

This is what am EGG from a good chick hatch looks like! your goal post #14673








Empty shells -
a valuable source of information click HERE


The Cuticle removal in hatching eggs as a means to reduce weight loss: Has actually been found to increase embryo weight during incubation and has direct relationship between rate of egg water loss, embryonic metabolism, and growth during incubation. But that warning of contamination is there if you dont follow cleaning procedures correctly. Chlorine treated eggs were not altered either. So with all that it is found that cuticle removal can be an effective method for increasing growth and egg weight loss.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Yes, really! The extension makes the chickens have to reach farther down to...

Ohhhhhh... never mind!

 

[shahtir101]

If anyone has Silkies or Seramas, or knows someone, I'm looking for eggs to buy for incubating. The websites say things like minimum of 20, but I can't have 20 more. I wanted about 5 Seramas for show, and 3 silkies for my mom, because she really likes them for some reason.

I have Seramas. I should have eggs for sale soon, my girls are close to layingz