New Member from the Flinthills, KS

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LCB

LCB

In the Brooder
Mar 18, 2025
5
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Marion County, KS
Hello, everyone; I'm Lee from the southwest side of the Flinthills in Kansas. My family has been keeping chickens here for eggs for as long as I can remember. My wife and I moved back a few years ago from Kansas City.

We were up to a dozen laying hens about two years ago. Predators and just natural loss have gradually dropped us down to two remaining; a Jersey Giant and a New Hampshire Red. Our goal was to get more hens or chicks this year, but current conditions have made it impossible to find any places that are not sold out as soon as they are available. My last effort has been fertilized eggs from Strombergs (although I'm open to different ideas.). They should be here "soon." Egg production, and something for my father-in-law to do, is why we keep them.

I also keep bees on the property. That's been working pretty well. I'm not ready to retire to be a gentleman farmer yet, but these are the things I can do now.
 
BantyChooks said:
Will you be incubating the eggs yourself?
Click to expand...

Well, I thought about it, but I move around a lot, and I'm probably too heavy. ;)

We will try that. I bought a couple of "budget priced" options, and one seems to be keeping temperature and humidity correct (tested with a known good temp/humidity probe) over a few weeks. So, we'll try that. I did see the recommendations on the mega thread. If this becomes a thing, we'll look into one of the more reliable/recommended models.
 
LCB said:
Well, I thought about it, but I move around a lot, and I'm probably too heavy. ;)

We will try that. I bought a couple of "budget priced" options, and one seems to be keeping temperature and humidity correct (tested with a known good temp/humidity probe) over a few weeks. So, we'll try that. I did see the recommendations on the mega thread. If this becomes a thing, we'll look into one of the more reliable/recommended models.
Click to expand...
You mean you don’t want to sit still for 21 days? :p
Sounds great. I have had good results even with poorly reviewed incubators but they do tend to require babysitting. I’m actually building my own at the moment - it might be a fun project if you’re so inclined. They can be even better than the expensive models.
 
LCB said:
Hello, everyone; I'm Lee from the southwest side of the Flinthills in Kansas. My family has been keeping chickens here for eggs for as long as I can remember. My wife and I moved back a few years ago from Kansas City.

We were up to a dozen laying hens about two years ago. Predators and just natural loss have gradually dropped us down to two remaining; a Jersey Giant and a New Hampshire Red. Our goal was to get more hens or chicks this year, but current conditions have made it impossible to find any places that are not sold out as soon as they are available. My last effort has been fertilized eggs from Strombergs (although I'm open to different ideas.). They should be here "soon." Egg production, and something for my father-in-law to do, is why we keep them.

I also keep bees on the property. That's been working pretty well. I'm not ready to retire to be a gentleman farmer yet, but these are the things I can do now.
Click to expand...
Welcome to byc. Nice to meet you.
 
Thanks for the welcome, all.

BantyChooks said:
I’m actually building my own at the moment - it might be a fun project if you’re so inclined. They can be even better than the expensive models.
Click to expand...

I have to be careful - such projects are like crack to me. I am prone to "serial hobbies" and digging in WAY too deep when I start down that rabbit hole.

I do quite a few Arduino, ESP8266/ESP32, and Raspberry Pi-based code projects (most are C++, with some Python and various others sprinkled in), so temperature control (this all started out of homebrewing) is a pretty trivial thing to take on. But that's how it all starts. :) Honestly, an Inkbird thermostat with a light timer to move a servo could probably do it, but that's way too simple, and I would undoubtedly over-complicate it with "just a little tweak."

There is a certain elegance and simplicity, and honestly, personal peace that comes from spending a couple of bucks to do it the right way. While I am still working, I have more spare dollars than spare time.

I need ~12 laying hens; however, I can get them. Once I get them, I may not worry about it again till the flock dwindles again. Or I may catch the bug and start digging new, unique rabbit holes. My wife is betting on the latter. :)
 
LCB said:
Thanks for the welcome, all.



I have to be careful - such projects are like crack to me. I am prone to "serial hobbies" and digging in WAY too deep when I start down that rabbit hole.

I do quite a few Arduino, ESP8266/ESP32, and Raspberry Pi-based code projects (most are C++, with some Python and various others sprinkled in), so temperature control (this all started out of homebrewing) is a pretty trivial thing to take on. But that's how it all starts. :) Honestly, an Inkbird thermostat with a light timer to move a servo could probably do it, but that's way too simple, and I would undoubtedly over-complicate it with "just a little tweak."

There is a certain elegance and simplicity, and honestly, personal peace that comes from spending a couple of bucks to do it the right way. While I am still working, I have more spare dollars than spare time.

I need ~12 laying hens; however, I can get them. Once I get them, I may not worry about it again till the flock dwindles again. Or I may catch the bug and start digging new, unique rabbit holes. My wife is betting on the latter. :)
Click to expand...
You are absolutely correct. I’ll just get a regular thermostat… oh, but PID controllers… oh, this heating element has better heating cycles… oh, I can buy calibrating equipment on eBay… 48 hours later you haven’t eaten or slept. :lau
 

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