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

[jwlpoultry]

Quote: I have some traps that I use sometimes but chickens free range and they would get in them so dont set them all the time.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Sally, would you like it if I got pictures of my coolerbator build through it, or do you have enough? @Sally Sunshine
-Banti

yep keeping track of everyones builds!!!

I think I have everything I need for the bator.
Wish me luck.

 

[jwlpoultry]

I could loan you my lion.....he'd take care of those opposums....

pm you about the pheasants....

No thanks I'll stick with traps and guns. And thanks

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Sooooo.....Here's why I haven't been on here in awhile....

::snip::

That is terrifying AND frustrating.

Update: Eggtopsy of the Serama eggs showed that the humidity was too high. I'm not sure how that's possible since I used the humidity pump with my Brinsea, and the highest it got was 38% during the last few days before lockdown. The 3 I eggtopsied were also turned wrong to pip. Maybe they were too big to to turn because of the humidity? The three that did hatch seem healthy and happy. I'm getting some eggs from a local farm that has AMAZING Seramas here soon. Hopefully I'll have better luck with them, and I guess I'll lower the humidity. As this point I feel like I might as well just completely dry hatch. I also did an eggtopsy on one of the Muscovy eggs. The humidity was still too high with this batch I guess. One of my Muscovy hens finally laid another egg today, and hopefully she'll keep laying for a bit. The duckling that hatched absolutely hates me. It won't let me near it, and if I do catch it, it bites me over and over again. I thought I'd try to cuddle it and make it love me, but it just kept biting me.

You know, I was able to check the temp in my Brinsea with an accurate thermometer, but did not have an accurate enough hygrometer to check that. I had a problem with air cells developing too fast. And while the eggs (shipped) were certainly old with bigger air cells to start with, I found myself wondering a lot about whether the humidity reading was higher than actual in mine (I turned it to 70% for hatch instead of 65%, just in case). I've already ordered a calibrated hygrometer to check it with after this hatch. For you, perhaps it was the other way around (unless you calibrated?) I'm going to check/recalibrate once the eggs/chicks are out.

Paula was a solo chick for a while and was miserable and cried all night. I got her a mirror, and she snuggled up against it every night and chirped to it. That and watching TV with me held her until more chicks came...

- Ant Farm

 

[BantyChooks]

yep keeping track of everyones builds!!!

Ok!

 

[TJChickens]

I'm guessing your he is a she

Could be. I thought I smelled male lion smell, but looks a bit feminine. Pretty dang big though....Maybe we'll find out. Hopefully before any cubs appear....

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Hatch update:

After 5 hatched, with 6 pip-free eggs left, I finally was able to pull the stuck zipper egg out at the same time as some dry chicks. She was stuck to the shell around the pip (it had dried out right around there). So I helped her out. She's had a hard time - I don't know if she'll make it vs. putting her down, but I decided to at least give her a chance (she's a NN). She's drying off - she may need a leg hobble for splay leg once she's dried off.

Three chicks in the brooder, three drying off in the 'bator, and another one just pipped. I worked outside all day and am bushed!!!

- Ant Farm

 

[campingshaws]

I'M SO THANKFUL MY BFF IS A LINEAR THINKER. Though an advantage in assembling a mix-match chicken coop, my circuitous thinking is NOT HELPFUL when building a coolerbator.

 

[kwhites634]

I have some traps that I use sometimes but chickens free range and they would get in them so dont set them all the time.

I know that problem first-hand. I kept mine baited & set all the time until I came up one short when I did a beak count one day when everyone was out foraging. I found her in the sprung trap, unharmed, just sitting there like she had good sense, waiting to be let out. I still keep the trap handy, but only set it when I suspect a predator's working the area, and only then at night. I need to reset it now, actually; I've got something coming into the run at night, stealing feed & scattering it across the ground. Pretty sure it's a rat, judging by the hole I found. I'm not worried about it getting to the birds; they're in an elevated, secure coop. A rat could still chew it's way in, but it would have to have something to stand on while it was chewing, & that's not the case.

 

[kwhites634]

Could be. I thought I smelled male lion smell, but looks a bit feminine. Pretty dang big though....Maybe we'll find out. Hopefully before any cubs appear....

Know any place to rent a Gatling gun?