Incubators Anonymous

[CapricornFarm]

Quote:
They are already running around my kitchen/dining room! I wasn't told ducks can jump out of their brooder because they sure can't fly with those fat bodies and tiny wings! Turkeys in another brooder; three born around he time of Irene in another box and Ameraucans and EE hatching today. I'm certifiable -- some one please help me . . . . LOL Thank goodness the turkeys go outside every day!

I need more coops.

Seriously, I need at least six more coops. I am almost done the second side of the duplex so my silver lace Wyandottes will have a coop instead of a tractor. The tractor is needed for all these fluffybutt silkie babies that are way too big to be in my brooders! I just can't build fast enough.

 

[JD4570]

Folks , next week there will be no eggs in the bators. That makes me sad but I know I need to hold off for a while. I think I'm starting to go through withdrawals!

I want to keep on hatching! How do guys do it in the winter? Today I looked at a huge chest deep freezer that no longer works and I thought " Wow , I could hatch over a 1000 at a time in a freez-a-bator that size".Do I need help?!

 

[Cattitude]

I hear you on the building projects!! Those chicks outgrow the brooder and adolescent pens really fast. I just mended one chicken tractor for the partridge silkies and I'm building a pallet hutch for my splash Silkie Xs. I need another hutch for white silkies, black silkies, and Sizzles. The blues can stay with the splash till spring... in fact, these young ones can all stay together, if I make a big enough run to go with the old doghouse... hmm.... *goes off to figure out where to put the newest run*

 

[CapricornFarm]

Quote:
My cabinet incubators are in an insulated garage. I keep the other four in the house. Last year I put chicks in brooders with heat lamps until it got way cold then, I brought them in and put them in one of the bathtubs in my bathroom. Yes, we have three bathtubs in the house, two are mine! This year I am insulating a room in the barn so hopefully that will work. To make matters even crazier, DH has a big nose and is super sensitive to any smells:-D Seriously, he knew I was an animal nut before we got married in 1978. He didn't want any roosters to start with, but I talked him into chicks to replace old pullets. Oops, I had two roosters in that batch! If you want to know how far out things are here, check out my byc page. And I am loving it!

 

[JD4570]

I guess I could stick to a single 41 egg capacity bator and renovate an old adolescent freestanding coop/cage into a huge brooder cage that's fully insulated and when they at about 6 to 8 weeks old split up the group between that cage and the other adolescent cage. I feel better already.

By the way if I add more roost poles my chicken house could sleep about 180, I only have 36 now, it's 12'x24'x8' ( W x L x H). Thanks, I feel much better now!

 

[CapricornFarm]

JD, your chickens have got to be lonely in that great big coop! It is your duty as a chicken flock owner to give them more buddies! Come on, get with it. Weather happens, just deal with it. Spring is right around the corner. Chicks today will be laying in March!

 

[JD4570]

You're right I got to get hatching. I'm also think of hatching some turkeys too!

I'm gonna have to increase the free range area from 1/2 acre to at least 1 acre or more, I've got 10 acres to play with.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I have 41 eggs incubating. More will be added...

~Aspen

 

[CapricornFarm]

Really? Me too! Most of it is fenced because I had 100 goats:-D Now I am down to about 15 goats and a couple hundred chickens. But you know chicken math, they don't all count because I am selling some, some are silkies, which only count for half a chicken, chicks and adolescents don't count because I could sell them. So really, not so many chickens. I have four chicken areas. My original coop is closest to the house, and my buff orps live there. Then I have the adult silkies in the barn so they don't get cold in winter. Chicken City has four chicken tractors, a portable coop, a single coop with a run, a duplex attached to two grow out pens and three other assorted coops. Then down in Guinealand, there is a two level triplex, and two duplexes , all with runs. No I don't have guineas, I got rid of them. Even way out there they were too noisy.
Really, you must get busy. You have a lot to do.

 

[discoveregg]

Quote:
You could divide up your acreage by chicken breed! An acre for the Brahmas, and an acre for the Silkies. An acre for the Delawares and an acre for the Barred Rocks.....