MJ's little flock

[Perris]

I don't think the eggs cooled much in that time.

I don't think that would have done much harm.

I'm sure you're right. They can go for hours and cool right down without issue. On one of my hatches the hen spent the night on the wrong nest and still they all hatched, on time even. And I've had broodies off for half a day in the first week of incubation without doing any harm either.

 

[BDutch]

Maybe a piece of foam insulation cut to size and wrapped in two sealed pillowcases?

I wouldn’t use insulation if there is a risk of red mite where you live.
Id rather take the slats out and replace them with a ‘cut to fit’ piece of 0.8 - 1 cm thick (1/3 - 1/2“) plywood to avoid hiding places for mites. I painted all the contact walls inside with DE and added a layer of sand with DE on the bottom for this reason.

I got it at an estate sale where there was a Picasso on the wall for sale. This place was amazing. All I could afford was a cat tea pot.

The cat is a real beauty, but doesn’t look very useful as a teapot .
In the Netherlands we have a tv-program called knickknacks or art where such items and paintings are judged on their value. The cat would fit in for sure and I wonder if you paid a knickknack or art price. Any idea if it’s worth more than you paid for?

On second thoughts, I'm going to defer the shade sails untill tomorrow.

Is it possible to make the new shade sails in a way that you can take it off too if its not hot. Sunshine is very healthy for chickens an chicks. Maybe something with rings in the tarp and hooks to secure it to the frame?

 

[MaryJanet]

I'm sure you're right. They can go for hours and cool right down without issue. On one of my hatches the hen spent the night on the wrong nest and still they all hatched, on time even. And I've had broodies off for half a day in the first week of incubation without doing any harm either.

That's very reassuring, thanks.

 

[BDutch]

I'm sure you're right. They can go for hours and cool right down without issue. On one of my hatches the hen spent the night on the wrong nest and still they all hatched, on time even. And I've had broodies off for half a day in the first week of incubation without doing any harm either.

The time frame certainly depends. 5- 10 minutes is never a problem.

The first week its not an issue if the eggs get cold for a while, but later in the proces the eggs (embryos ) die if they get cold. When the temperatures are okay/warm , up to a 40 minute break is no problem. The last 3 days a break should be much shorter. The broody seems to know. She might hear the chicks by this time.

 

[MaryJanet]

I wouldn’t use insulation if there is a risk of red mite where you live.

There is no risk. There have never been any lice or mites. I'm sure the vets would have told me if they saw any trace.

Id rather take the slats out and replace them with a ‘cut to fit’ piece of 0.8 - 1 cm thick (1/3 - 1/2“) plywood to avoid hiding places for mites. I painted all the contact walls inside with DE and added a layer of sand with DE on the bottom for this reason.

I remember reading about it on your thread.

The cat is a real beauty, but doesn’t look very useful as a teapot .
In the Netherlands we have a tv-program called knickknacks or art where such items and paintings are judged on their value. The cat would fit in for sure and I wonder if you paid a knickknack or art price. Any idea if it’s worth more than you paid for?


Is it possible to make the new shade sails in a way that you can take it off too if its not hot. Sunshine is very healthy for chickens an chicks. Maybe something with rings in the tarp and hooks to secure it to the frame?

They come with stainless steel D shackles, so they're easy to put up and easy to take down.

The chickens have full access to as much sunshine as they wish, but they usually keep to the shade. Excessive heat is the bigger risk where I live. I've become very skilled at keeping the chickens cool - they even have evaporative cooling in the form of a misting system.

 

[MaryJanet]

The time frame certainly depends. 5- 10 minutes is never a problem.

The first week its not an issue if the eggs get cold for a while, but later in the proces the eggs (embryos ) die if they get cold. When the temperatures are okay/warm , up to a 40 minute break is no problem. The last 3 days a break should be much shorter. The broody seems to know. She might hear the chicks by this time.

That's good to know, thanks!

 

[ManueB]

I'm sure the egg shell provides a bit of insulation. Soft boiled egg stay warm for a very long time until you open them.

If you use pillowcases, I would maybe not seal them as they will get really dirty and dusty, and you will need to wash them if you want them to stay for all the time the chicks grow up. I think textile catches a lot more dust than hard surfaces. But maybe with your sandy soil you don't have as much dust as me !

 

[RoyalChick]

Given MJ’s climate I wonder if we are over engineering the slats problem.
Newspaper?

 

[BDutch]

Given MJ’s climate I wonder if we are over engineering the slats problem.
Newspaper?

This is good thinking. But I rather cut cardboard into the right size. My chickens prefer eating printed paper over cardboard and scratching in paper makes a mess. Cardboard is easy to replace too.

 

[MaryJanet]

Given MJ’s climate I wonder if we are over engineering the slats problem.
Newspaper?

I wonder if 7cm deep x 28 wide x 60 long might be too heavy.

I'll try it and find out.