Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[Sally PB]

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

Thank you. I'm sorry if you lost all your chicks... that they make it...

 

[U_Stormcrow]

We have PIPs! Now I have to set up the brooder box, and figure out where I'm going to find power, w/o blowing the circuits in the RV... "Panic mode", begin! (We are about 10 degrees colder than was expected right now, and I'm in the middle of two other projects.)

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We have PIPs! Now I have to set up the brooder box, and figure out where I'm going to find power, w/o blowing the circuits in the RV... "Panic mode", begin! (We are about 10 degrees colder than was expected right now, and I'm in the middle of two other projects.)

Do you happen to have little Hotties warmers? I use those when I have chicks that get chilled, usually work real great

 

[JacinLarkwell]

At least to buy some time until you can turn the incubator off or something

 

[MysteryChicken]

We have PIPs! Now I have to set up the brooder box, and figure out where I'm going to find power, w/o blowing the circuits in the RV... "Panic mode", begin! (We are about 10 degrees colder than was expected right now, and I'm in the middle of two other projects.)

I always get the brooder set up a week before hatch day, then add food, & water the day they hatch.

 

[SourRoses]

We have PIPs! Now I have to set up the brooder box, and figure out where I'm going to find power, w/o blowing the circuits in the RV... "Panic mode", begin! (We are about 10 degrees colder than was expected right now, and I'm in the middle of two other projects.)

Right?! It's FREEZING us into Floricicles!

Last night I had to take emergency measures for the 13 brooding on the porch, covered them in styrofoam and blankets except for the heat lamp area. It looks very, uhh, creative.
These are the same batch I had to give up and bring inside during the last Day after Tomorrow. Slow feathering gene is not super helpful right now!

Who decides to raise chicks during a winter so cold?
Ahh well, got a pile of eggs here to go in the incubator.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yeah, so... I didn't mark my calendar, we lost power at one point long enough to reset my incubator (so I lost track of how many days remained), and typically I can incubate and brood in either the shed, or the barn, both of which now have power. and if it were 50 degrees or higher on average, I still could. It was 28 overnight, and 40 now...

and I use a heat plate, it will be up to temp before any of these little birds hatch.

Now, I need to stop typing, and start working. Assuming I have the parts on hand I need, and can defer a run into town...

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Its not chickens, but this is what has kept me busy weekends. Extended the shed, built some "shelves", bought and built (need to build more) some cages. Plenty of room left for the cages left to build. Need to finish one more cage (sides and botto are done, need a doorway and a top). Then seperate the current breeding pair, then start teaching myself how to make grass mats (the easy way, with jute twine and grass bundles) for them.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Number 5 is at bottom of frame, the only mostly black one so far. Number six (another yellow, not chipmunk) is in the incubator drying out. One egg is a maybe, but seems delayed. Of the remaining eggs (12 were set total), one was infertile, one was contaminated, three were middle quits (around the contaminated egg). Given how the weather played havoc and a power loss reset the incubator, I'm surprised at even 50% success so early in the year.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Number 5 is at bottom of frame, the only mostly black one so far. Number six (another yellow, not chipmunk) is in the incubator drying out. One egg is a maybe, but seems delayed. Of the remaining eggs (12 were set total), one was infertile, one was contaminated, three were middle quits (around the contaminated egg). Given how the weather played havoc and a power loss reset the incubator, I'm surprised at even 50% success so early in the year.

These two peeps look promising.