My leukemia's back.

[N F C]

Rachel, congratulations on the babies!

On Friday I got 6 babies from a WY member...3 Legbars, 2 Welsummers and 1 Sapphire. They're in the brooder right next to my desk so I get to listen to them sing while I'm on the computer

Gotta love those little fuzzy butts!

 

[hbhoffman]

Love the chicks!!
Okay, someone's comment about taking them out to hatch separately just threw me a curve! Say WHAT?? I have only done 1 hatch so *very* much a newbie. .. How do you do that?? Care to share? And has anyone actually made one of these? Or an incubator? Thinking about it as I can't afford nearly $450 for a Brinsea and reviews on the others aren't awesome. Just want one to be able to hatch up to a dozen or so. Really would like to rent or borrow one or buy a used one.
And yes, to seeing a cardiologist-a good one!- to help get rid of that hitting the brick wall feelings, Rachel.
Blooie, So excited about ringing the bell! I think that would give me hope to hear someone else ring the bell.
Phil -Are you fishing yet?

 

[hbhoffman]

Can't edit the other post to include this photo. But this was one happy girl to be able to go see her chicken! She was really laughing after she lifted the nestbox lid and accidentally scared a broody welsummer off the nest to find 2 fresh blue and green eggs under her!

 

[donrae]

Here's the incubator we built. Well, Honey built, I was the Lovely Assistant

. This is I think my second year of using it. I have auto turner on each of those wire shelves and yep, those are cut from cattle panels. Best thing we could come up with to support the weight of the eggs and allow for good airflow. So, I have a shelf a week. Then, I have one of the commercial Little Giants I put the eggs in for "lockdown", the last three days of incubation. I use quotation marks cause I don't lockdown, I open that sucker a lot. But anyway....the cabinet is so large, I do dry incubations. There is no way to both warm the eggs and boost the humidity to the level needed for hatching.

If you're wanting to build a coolerbator, I'd highly recommend watching the videos from Rush Land Poultry on youtube. He's great at building them, and walks you through so pretty much anyone can do it. Wiring is kind of intimidating to me, but I'd have been comfortable following the video had Honey not decided to go big for me.

I know LG has made her own coolerbator, maybe she'll chime in or you can PM her about it.

I'm up to 17 chicks! Got the older Orps moved to the bantam pen, got the brooder shoveled out and fresh shavings put down, I'll move babies tomorrow and get a good male/female count once they're nice and dry. Put an ad on CL tomorrow and sell some babies!

NFC--that's so cool, listening to the babies

. I enjoy listening to them when they're in the hatcher--but not enough to brood in the house!

 

[hbhoffman]

WOW! I think I could do that! But how do you "autoturn'' the eggs?? I think I'm missing something... Is it a part you order? And you just stick a fan in there to circulate the air?? I can find cattle panels to cut up or even wire shelving from a bakers rack.... and I have plywood.. well, not any more now that it's on the fence to try and keep out new dog in the yard( not working well- but she does run right to you all happy about getting out and isn't she a really good girl for coming??? LOL) But I could go get more. hmmm

 

[Blooie]

That's quite a setup, Rachel!

I hope by now everyone who had the wuzwels is feeling better! For once, no one around here is sniffling, erfing, coughing or whining - well, except Ken. He's whining but I warned him yesterday that if he was going to drive all the way home from Rawlins to Cowley NOT to come crying to me when his shoulder hurt. So there! It gave me a bit of an evil thrill to watch him struggle to open the child-guard cap on the bottle of Advil with one hand. (why don't we have an evil laugh smiley?)

 

[hbhoffman]

We soo really should have one, Blooie!

 

[lazy gardener]

Love the chicks!!
Okay, someone's comment about taking them out to hatch separately just threw me a curve! Say WHAT?? I have only done 1 hatch so *very* much a newbie. .. How do you do that?? Care to share? And has anyone actually made one of these? Or an incubator? Thinking about it as I can't afford nearly $450 for a Brinsea and reviews on the others aren't awesome. Just want one to be able to hatch up to a dozen or so. Really would like to rent or borrow one or buy a used one.
And yes, to seeing a cardiologist-a good one!- to help get rid of that hitting the brick wall feelings, Rachel.
Blooie, So excited about ringing the bell! I think that would give me hope to hear someone else ring the bell.
Phil -Are you fishing yet?

Here's the incubator we built. Well, Honey built, I was the Lovely Assistant

. This is I think my second year of using it. I have auto turner on each of those wire shelves and yep, those are cut from cattle panels. Best thing we could come up with to support the weight of the eggs and allow for good airflow. So, I have a shelf a week. Then, I have one of the commercial Little Giants I put the eggs in for "lockdown", the last three days of incubation. I use quotation marks cause I don't lockdown, I open that sucker a lot. But anyway....the cabinet is so large, I do dry incubations. There is no way to both warm the eggs and boost the humidity to the level needed for hatching.

If you're wanting to build a coolerbator, I'd highly recommend watching the videos from Rush Land Poultry on youtube. He's great at building them, and walks you through so pretty much anyone can do it. Wiring is kind of intimidating to me, but I'd have been comfortable following the video had Honey not decided to go big for me.

I know LG has made her own coolerbator, maybe she'll chime in or you can PM her about it.

I'm up to 17 chicks! Got the older Orps moved to the bantam pen, got the brooder shoveled out and fresh shavings put down, I'll move babies tomorrow and get a good male/female count once they're nice and dry. Put an ad on CL tomorrow and sell some babies!

NFC--that's so cool, listening to the babies

. I enjoy listening to them when they're in the hatcher--but not enough to brood in the house!

Ok Rachel, more details please. Hubby and I have built 2 bators. The first was a styrofoam with bimetal thermostat, computer fan, 2 x 40W bulbs for heat. It had some temp variation throughout the box which was kind of ok managed with lots of tin foil air baffles here and there, a beast to get regulated, because the control knob only took a fraction of a hair's width to = big temp change. The second is a cooler bator, with digital thermostat, 2 x 40W bulbs, and computer fan, easier to control but crazy temp swings from right side of box to left side of box. So, I can't load it up full of eggs, and have to be careful with egg placement. I finally turned off the fan after a few days, and got better control without the fan. Went into lock down Sat AM. So, what's your secret to having the temp consistent throughout the box??????????? And how much temp variation are you satisfied with????????

 

[lazy gardener]

Rachel, are you on any cancellation list for your cardiac work up? Can you get referred to more than one Doc? Sometimes a bit of competition will get you seen faster. Will keep you in my prayers.

 

[donrae]

I'll wait until Honey is available to give details on the bator. chemo brain and all