Minnesota!

[scandiafowl]

I use 2 farm innovators from Fleet farm, and one little giant. I use the little giant as a hatcher, because I have very staggered hatches.

They both do the same job equally poorly. (or well).

The fleet farm ones have a hard plastic case and are more durable than the little giant, costs are the same or less at Fleet farm.

My goal is to have a cabinet incubator next year. BUT it all depends on how things go here.  

I do like having an unit for a hatcher.

I have egg turners for all 3 incubators, I do not use it for the hatcher, instead I keep it on my counter and use the turner to store eggs prior to going into the incubator.  That way I can get several eggs from the desired birds and not have to turn them manually. (yes, I am that lazy)

Mine are from fleet farm as well, and use an egg turner.

We've kept ours on the kitchen counter as well, with the firm belief that talking to the eggs dauly helps with cognitive development.

 

[scandiafowl]

I built one out of a mini- fridge.  Not at all happy with it.  The temp was ok but I think the humidity air circulation were off most of the time.  I am researching better temp and humidity controls for next spring.  I want to build two cabinets.  I need two units because i am forced to do staggered hatching, so i need a hatcher also. Huge dreams, moderate plans, little capital is not best of combinations.

We call that champagne dreams on a beer budget...

 

[Minniechickmama]

Hmmm..

I am in strong dislike for you right now!

You knew I would jump on that story, and I would go overboard and go onto double secret probation again.. So all of you just pretend I said what your thinking and I will get to stay on BYC...


BTW,,, WITW is a cob house (what in the world)..... See I have reformed my cussing ways.

KlopKlop is mostly right, it is sand, straw and clay mixed together wet, then you take a "cob" or a loaf sized lump and build one little piece at a time. You use a stick of some sort to poke into each time to set a new cob, so it will knit the straw together and keep its integrity. It is a method hundreds of years old, perhaps thousands. There are buildings over 900 years old in Eastern Europe that are made of cob that still stand today. When one was cut into for some reason, it was actually still moist inside. See, the walls are very thick. For a two story house, the walls are about 2-feet thick. It is set on a footing, just like any other house, because you don't want moisture at the base, but you do this cobbing and you can shape it however you want, set windows and doors in it, use cool things like colored glass bottles for little accents. It is actually a pretty cool thing BUT it doesn't really bode well in our climate. You would finish it with a natural plaster that has some waterproof component like vegetable oil. Honestly, if I could get people to come build me a garden shed or something out of the stuff and charge them to do it as I was providing my knowledge, that would be a pretty cool thing. The time to build something from cob is LOOOONG! 20 of us completed about 20 feet of a wall that was about 4 feet high in the 10 days we were there. It was a pretty slick deal for the couple running the place. It was a very interesting experience. I know some people in SE Iowa who were there that built a house from cob. I believe they opened up one side and made an addition this last year too.

 

[Minniechickmama]

A portable cage would fall under zoning laws ?

It shouldn't. I was thinking the same thing. Also, if it is a chicken coop, they don't fall under those restrictions here in Goodhue according the appraisal person that was out a few years ago. Our brooder house is a permanent one and we kept that 10X12. The big house is actually portable on skids, 12'X36" and the foundation was built then brought here.

 

[Minniechickmama]

"There is one born every minute" I believe the saying goes? lol, terrible!

Funny about he nature walk

What happens in Oregon at the cob house, stays in Oregon at the cob house...

Oh I would gladly tell, but there are young 'uns in the group and I don't need anyone on my case about that.

If we lived somewhere that it could be used for a dwelling, then I might have actually considered it, but not here. It was a unique vacation for me and the first time I was ever away from my kids, which you would have thought would be stressful, but I did come back very relaxed. I also ran to the chiropractor the first chance I got after sleeping in a fold up cot for all that time.
I took the last day in Oregon and went to Crater Lake. How serene!!! And COLD! It was the second week in July and it was about 60 up in those mountains. It was so beautiful though, I didn't care and even being by myself, it was a very memorable trip. I hope one day our family can get in a camper and just go around to places like that.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Has anyone here raised quail? I am considering adding a few pens for eggs and meat. I had 3 coturnix quail when i was in grade school (aka many moons ago) for a little while before they escaped one day, but I still wouldn't say I know much about them.

I have read a ton about the how, but im curious to hear if anyone does it and if they think it is worth the time.

I will likely be getting some eggs from a friend in Oklahoma in the Spring. I think they might be fun to raise. I have never done them before, but my son and husband would like to raise some to eat. I have a friend who used to have a bunch, but I am pretty sure she got rid of them all. Quail eggs are pretty popular in fancy restaurants and I think the Asian communities like using them as well.

 

[duluthralphie]

It shouldn't. I was thinking the same thing. Also, if it is a chicken coop, they don't fall under those restrictions here in Goodhue according the appraisal person that was out a few years ago. Our brooder house is a permanent one and we kept that 10X12. The big house is actually portable on skids, 12'X36" and the foundation was built then brought here.

I agree, it should not! But they told me it did not matter. I told them I put it on skids because I did not know where I was going to put it for sure. They said "doesn't matter". I needed a zoning permit.
The funny thing is in Carlton County there is not building code, or wasn't when I built the building. There was only a "zoning permit". BTW my building was 8x16 on skids.


We use to own a motel and the township was going to be extending the sewer lines from the city of Carlton to the motel area in September. The same people that fined me later got me good on the sewer. I had a large sewer for the motel. I saw my sewer was failing in May. It was bubbling smelly stuff. I went to the zoning people and asked if I could put in holding tanks and have them pumped, while waiting for the sewer lines. They told me NO, They said I needed a full system. It cost me nearly 20 grand for the sewer system, which they condemned 4 months later and made me pay a hook up charge to the city sewer.....


And some of you wonder why I am so anti-zoning!

 

[Minniechickmama]

What brand of incubators do you guys use? I've been looking at the little giant model with an egg turner but looking for input

How much hatching are you going to do? Are you going to keep doing it over the course of a few years? Bite the bullet and get a Brinsea. Those foam ones are too unpredictable. I have used them, have had great hatches once in a blue moon, but normally not great. Temp is a pain to keep constant and the thermostats notoriously spike when they are going out and will kill everything. The auto turners are nice, but if you don't have a good unit to put them in, then not so great.

You could always build one, there are plenty of plans for them on here.

I have two GQF cabinet units and a big redwood Leahy. I am selling the Leahy It holds 600+ eggs.
The GQF are expensive for those who are just doing a few eggs for their own. I hate the cheap fans they use in them, and honestly, they could use a smarter design. I am wanting to build my own cabinets and make a smarter unit that is easier to clean than these stupid things I have now. The control center is great and keeps the unit running great, but cleaning something that is twice as long as your arm and so narrow that you can barely reach into it to clean it just dumb. I can go on and on complaining about what I don't like. They do incubate and hatch well. In fact, the incubator is fine so long as I don't hatch and the fan does poop out and start squealing from the bearings being shot. Then again, I run it constantly for 6 months, or have.

So, if it were me, I would go Brinsea for a small unit. I can give you a discount code too if you want it.

 

[KlopKlop]

How much hatching are you going to do?  Are you going to keep doing it over the course of a few years?  Bite the bullet and get a Brinsea.  Those foam ones are too unpredictable.  I have used them, have had great hatches once in a blue moon, but normally not great.  Temp is a pain to keep constant and the thermostats notoriously spike when they are going out and will kill everything.  The auto turners are nice, but if you don't have a good unit to put them in, then not so great.


You could always build one, there are plenty of plans for them on here.

I have two GQF cabinet units and a big redwood Leahy.  I am selling the Leahy  It holds 600+ eggs.  

The GQF are expensive for those who are just doing a few eggs for their own.  I hate the cheap fans they use in them, and honestly, they could use a smarter design.  I am wanting to build my own cabinets and make a smarter unit that is easier to clean than these stupid things I have now.  The control center is great and keeps the unit running great, but cleaning something that is twice as long as your arm and so narrow that you can barely reach into it to clean it just dumb.  I can go on and on complaining about what I don't like.  They do incubate and hatch well.  In fact, the incubator is fine so long as I don't hatch and the fan does poop out and start squealing from the bearings being shot.  Then again, I run it constantly for 6 months, or have.


So, if it were me, I would go Brinsea for a small unit.  I can give you a discount code too if you want it.

Well we are planning on trying to hatch our own broilers for next year and then as aforementioned I'm considering trying quail. I suppose I may be better off getting a quality unit from the start. If I get a crappy one and it is too hard to hatch and maintain I can imagine it would be discouraging.

I will research the brinsea and let you know.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I agree, it should not! But they told me it did not matter. I told them I put it on skids because I did not know where I was going to put it for sure. They said "doesn't matter". I needed a zoning permit.
The funny thing is in Carlton County there is not building code, or wasn't when I built the building. There was only a "zoning permit". BTW my building was 8x16 on skids.


We use to own a motel and the township was going to be extending the sewer lines from the city of Carlton to the motel area in September. The same people that fined me later got me good on the sewer. I had a large sewer for the motel. I saw my sewer was failing in May. It was bubbling smelly stuff. I went to the zoning people and asked if I could put in holding tanks and have them pumped, while waiting for the sewer lines. They told me NO, They said I needed a full system. It cost me nearly 20 grand for the sewer system, which they condemned 4 months later and made me pay a hook up charge to the city sewer.....


And some of you wonder why I am so anti-zoning!

For that amount, I would hire a lawyer to investigate exactly what the zoning laws are and see if they are in the wrong. I know there are some towns and counties that their boards think they are monarchs that can just dictate whatever the heck they feel like, so I wouldn't just let them tell you you owe, go read those zoning laws. If they give you any crap about it, go neeked and scare them!