NY chicken lover!!!!

[PhoredaBurds]

Have you ever noticed how much weeding doesn't get done when you're with the chickens?? :/  
  Anyway - while I'm here - I have tried natural worming which I don't think too well. So - is there such a thing as a wormer w/o the need to withdraw the eggs? My girls are very skinny, eating like pigs. What does everyone here use?

Weeding? Yeah. Hours evaporate when I'm out w the chickens. It's not unusual to find myself just standing there, watching them. I'm sure the weeds are laughing at me and my chickens as they soar towards the sky. Was just thinking the other day that it's nice that echinacea grows like weeds. Otherwise I'd have very few flowers out there.
I wormed this spring with Ivermectin and withdrew eggs. Still many of the egg layers remain fairly light even tho they also eat like pigs. I wonder sometimes if that's just their normal. Anyone else out there have this experience?

 

[PhoredaBurds]

I don't care how good this hatch is (day 19 is taking forever!), the next time I pay for hatching eggs I will pay for a new incubator too for the reasons mentioned here. Too much of a headache. There's a better way. That said, I'm borrowing my Little Giant still air incubator and that is the right price for me. If you want to try incubating, borrow an incubator first if you can. Try the free method first. If it works for you, great. If not you'll have time to get more advice (I'm looking up the Genesis now.)

I agree, borrowing a bator is smart. I started w a borrowed hovabator & bought a turner fr TSC to put in it. I checked & adjusted it regularly & kept a log. Had an ok hatch tho most were shipped eggs, so there's that factor. For Christmas Santa brought me a brinsea and it's amazing. I certainly learned quite a bit from the hovabator, but the set-it-and-forget-it of the brinsea is wonderful, giving me 60-70% hatch on shipped eggs & almost 100% on eggs fr my own chickens. It is a little dangerous tho. Santa (DH) now claims my chicken hobby has gotten out of hand and I can say I disagree w him, lol.

 

[BakerzDozen]

Yes I am looking at the Brinsea... but which one??? I want the small one. 12 eggs I think but there are still 2 different models.
I am at the age where I and all my friends are suffering the empty nest syndrome, and everyone has developed hobbies they never had before... I have a friend who hikes mountains every weekend, collecting summit patches, another friend who travels every weekend in her RV. Another who has started plastic surgery to beat back time.
I am the only crazy chicken lady, so there is no incubator to borrow. You all are the closest I have to "farmie" friends.
So which Brinsea???

 

[BakerzDozen]

I have a friend with an old 1602 N, still air, no turner and she says she did fine.  Me it was a waste. 

Next I  bought a Genesis 1588 AND turner from Incubator Warehouse on the recommendation of Speckledhen and  I've not regretted it. 

So what's my point?

Whether you buy a Brinsea  or  Genesis 1588 or another type,  take the advice from folks here.  You can buy a still air and turner and spend $80-100. OR you can spend $200 or so and not waste time on trying to hatch eggs you may pay big bucks for.  

IMO the time is a factor too.  Watching and waiting and worrying about the temp,    and the humidity    and losing sleep.  Plus your fingers get tired from being crossed 24/7.  

Then there is the swearing when your Still Air doesn't hold the temp and you're like,     and      and then the eggs don't hatch and you're like   .   Though some seem to do fine with a Still Air , I'm just not them.  

I wish you well, 

Rancher, been there done that, Hicks. 

I have nothing but time.so it will give me something to do. I think I want one with a fan and the turner too.
Imma sure I'll be cussing.
Imma sure I'll be crying.
Eventually I hope to be celebrating my first hatches.

 

[horsekeeper]

Yes I am looking at the Brinsea... but which one??? I want the small one. 12 eggs I think but there are still 2 different models.
I am at the age where I and all my friends are suffering the empty nest syndrome, and everyone has developed hobbies they never had before... I have a friend who hikes mountains every weekend, collecting summit patches, another friend who travels every weekend in her RV. Another who has started plastic surgery to beat back time.
I am the only crazy chicken lady, so there is no incubator to borrow. You all are the closest I have to "farmie" friends.
So which Brinsea???

I got the Brinsea Eco 20 basic model with the turner frame and really dislike it. The turner burned out and at about day 18 the humidity is all over the place. I much prefer the Farm Innovator from TSC. It is a styrofoam incubator with a plastic casing and holds temp and humidity much better than the Brinsea (for me). I bought a good digital thermometer/hygrometer and a plastic liner for it. The FI is about $140 and comes with a turner. I've hatched chickens, ducks, and turkeys with it.

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

I am about to buy an Incubator to hatch eggs... (of course) I was wondering which brand you all would recommend for a beginner. I think to start small and move up if I enjoy the process. I am also doing this because I eventually want to get eggs of the breeds I desire. They don't have to be show quality but I would like to acquire hatching eggs from reputable breeders.

Yes I am looking at the Brinsea... but which one??? I want the small one. 12 eggs I think but there are still 2 different models.
I am at the age where I and all my friends are suffering the empty nest syndrome, and everyone has developed hobbies they never had before... I have a friend who hikes mountains every weekend, collecting summit patches, another friend who travels every weekend in her RV. Another who has started plastic surgery to beat back time.
I am the only crazy chicken lady, so there is no incubator to borrow. You all are the closest I have to "farmie" friends.
So which Brinsea???

I just got the Brisnea Mini Advance this spring and have had great success this year. It only holds 7 large eggs which is good to limit the number that I can hatch at one time...Cause if I had a bigger one I'm sure that I would want to fill it. It holds the temp and humidity very well. I have hatched both chickens and ducks with success. I have duck eggs in it right now wilt 5 days to go before lock down.

 

[Pyxis]

I got the Brinsea Eco 20 basic model with the turner frame and really dislike it.  The turner burned out and at about day 18 the humidity is all over the place.  I much prefer the Farm Innovator from TSC.  It is a styrofoam incubator with a plastic casing and holds temp and humidity much better than the Brinsea (for me).  I bought a good digital thermometer/hygrometer and a plastic liner for it.  The FI is about $140 and comes with a turner.  I've hatched chickens, ducks, and turkeys with it.

I had the exact opposite experience! I have the eco 20 with the cradle and love it to death, best incubator I have ever owned. I've had the turner for over a year now and have overloaded the incubator several times and it keeps on working. The temperature is always dead on and humidity stays steady as long as I make sure to remember to add water, lol. They also come with a year warranty so if that happened to you I would contact Brinsea.

Meanwhile the LG I bought from TSC drowns chicks every time I try to use it, so it's a backup and overflow incubator only. I do have one other that I run as a hatcher, but only as a hatcher because it kills anything if I try to actually incubate in it.

 

[rancher hicks]

I don't care how good this hatch is (day 19 is taking forever!), the next time I pay for hatching eggs I will pay for a new incubator too for the reasons mentioned here. Too much of a headache. There's a better way. That said, I'm borrowing my Little Giant still air incubator and that is the right price for me. If you want to try incubating, borrow an incubator first if you can. Try the free method first. If it works for you, great. If not you'll have time to get more advice (I'm looking up the Genesis now.)

The Still air I mentioned was borrowed. Like I said some folks do just fine with them. It's takes a bit of skill which I don't have so I bought the Genesis. I need all the help I can get.

 

[rancher hicks]

Weeding? Yeah. Hours evaporate when I'm out w the chickens. It's not unusual to find myself just standing there, watching them. I'm sure the weeds are laughing at me and my chickens as they soar towards the sky. Was just thinking the other day that it's nice that echinacea grows like weeds. Otherwise I'd have very few flowers out there.
I wormed this spring with Ivermectin and withdrew eggs. Still many of the egg layers remain fairly light even tho they also eat like pigs. I wonder sometimes if that's just their normal. Anyone else out there have this experience?

The Ivemectin pour on I use requires no withdraw but there are those who say it doesn't work. I have to use it as it's all Iv'e got. Other wormers require withdraw for far too long. I think it's a scam.

I wish I had Echinacea. I've been planting anything to attract bees. I was fixing a door and there was a bumble bee that built it's nest in a hole nearby. I hated to spray it but had no choice. I'm still not sure it's gone. Anyhow I buy plants and stick them anywhere.

I do toss the scratch strategically too. Into the weeds along the fence. This way they have to scratch and hunt and kill the seeds.

I will put this out there. I'm not sure how much longer I'll have chickens. We are in the talking stage of selling and moving into an apartment. The maintenance on the house is too hard. There are too many things I can't do and can't afford to pay to have done. The kids are no help. Needless to say they will be sorely disappointed when I die and find I've left everything to the Old Chickens Rest Home. And I'm NOT kidding! That is of course if I don't go first. DW will give them the shirt off her back and be buried naked. She's just to good to them.

Well take care, late night. Had to pick up DD from the airport.

Rancher, too tired, Hicks.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

Eprinex can be used for worming without egg withdrawal. Found it at TSC (labeled for large animal i think).

I think Runnings has a foam incubator fan, turner, and thermometer sold together. (Farm innovator?)

With the humidity being high this spring I barely added any water to this last hatch and only candled at lock down. I think this last hatch was the best of the bunch this year. I also kept them in a room with the curtains drawn and door shut trying to keep temp.more even.