Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[JacinLarkwell]

I'll have to get a picture of Big Boy's son. He's only like 3 or 4 months and he's as big as some of my full grown hens. More red too, but I think he's from my partridge naked neck I had so that would explain it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

an 8# bird at 6 mo would make me very happy, as long as I continued to have 4-4.5# productive hens at 20 weeks - but that's asking more than a lot of a single breed.

 

[MysteryChicken]

an 8# bird at 6 mo would make me very happy, as long as I continued to have 4-4.5# productive hens at 20 weeks - but that's asking more than a lot of a single breed.

If you can get your hands on some True Orientals, like my(Indian)(Not American Bred)Malays you can achieve big heavy hens, through crossing.

I need to weigh my Malay hens. Haven't had the chance.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Tried to incubate some eggs - didn't have enough electric in the RV to support it w/o blowing the fuse, so I put the incubator in the barn (where I have power shhhhh. don't tell the tax man!) inside a cooler with the lid cracked open for air exchange.

Went to 17 degrees last night. 21 when I woke up. The low temp alarm was screaming at me this AM when I went to change the animal's water, likely lost all 12. Fingers crossed, will candle as soon as I can do so w/o my hands shaking, but I suspect bad news.

Will try again in almost a week, when the warming trend is supposed to make its way here.

In the interim, I still don't have water in the RV - not sure where the line froze, but clearly, we hadn't cracked the faucets enough.

Happy Holidays all! Today's gift to me was learning from my errors. WHich I share as gift to you.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Tried to incubate some eggs - didn't have enough electric in the RV to support it w/o blowing the fuse, so I put the incubator in the barn (where I have power shhhhh. don't tell the tax man!) inside a cooler with the lid cracked open for air exchange.

Went to 17 degrees last night. 21 when I woke up. The low temp alarm was screaming at me this AM when I went to change the animal's water, likely lost all 12. Fingers crossed, will candle as soon as I can do so w/o my hands shaking, but I suspect bad news.

Will try again in almost a week, when the warming trend is supposed to make its way here.

In the interim, I still don't have water in the RV - not sure where the line froze, but clearly, we hadn't cracked the faucets enough.

Happy Holidays all! Today's gift to me was learning from my errors. WHich I share as gift to you.

How old were the eggs when the temperature was low?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

How old were the eggs when the temperature was low?

19-20 days

 

[3KillerBs]

Tried to incubate some eggs - didn't have enough electric in the RV to support it w/o blowing the fuse, so I put the incubator in the barn (where I have power shhhhh. don't tell the tax man!) inside a cooler with the lid cracked open for air exchange.

Went to 17 degrees last night. 21 when I woke up. The low temp alarm was screaming at me this AM when I went to change the animal's water, likely lost all 12. Fingers crossed, will candle as soon as I can do so w/o my hands shaking, but I suspect bad news.

Will try again in almost a week, when the warming trend is supposed to make its way here.

In the interim, I still don't have water in the RV - not sure where the line froze, but clearly, we hadn't cracked the faucets enough.

Happy Holidays all! Today's gift to me was learning from my errors. WHich I share as gift to you.

I was afraid of losing brooding chicks in the more normal January storms. I didn't think of possibly losing an incubator full of eggs at this time of year.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I was afraid of losing brooding chicks in the more normal January storms. I didn't think of possibly losing an incubator full of eggs at this time of year.

Clearly, neither did I.

 

[3KillerBs]

Clearly, neither did I.

Especially since this is ridiculously cold for the time of year.

 

[NanaK]

In the interim, I still don't have water in the RV - not sure where the line froze, but clearly, we hadn't cracked the faucets enough.

Hopefully you have this corrected now.
We stayed in our RV year round so had to deal with this occasionally.
Assuming you have your entry line wrapped and it's not frozen, check the first couple inches of line that inter the RV. OR Shine a halogen flood lamp on the water entry point, should thaw it out quickly.
Lines in the floor and walls should not freeze at those temps as long as the heat is on inside. Never had that happen.
As for the eggs, maybe a Christmas miracle will end with chicks!