OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[mlaff]

I am looking into getting a new incubator. I have a farm innovators with the circulating air fan but I am looking for something better.ive heard a lot about the brinsea Eco 20 and the hovabator 1588. I don't and can't spend a lot of money on it but would like one that is a little higher class. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[mlaff]

Lol, it didn't take me long to decide to try hatching again. I'm a little addicted and will have to definitely decide on certain breeds instead of wanting one of everything.

 

[loveourbirds]

your farm innovators has most of the stuff you need to build an incubator. I would suggest buying a wafer thermostat if yours does not have it. you can also go digital, but my luck is better with wafers. if you already have a turner for your incubator build your new box to reuse it.

don't get me wrong brisnea is a pretty good incubator. but my experience is you can build one a lot cheaper. I have not drawn it out, but I have plans for one in my head that you should be able to build for about $250-300 that can hold up to 1000 eggs. I did put my turner diagram on the inventions thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631861/diy-thread-lets-see-your-inventions/580#post_11135328.

 

[mlaff]

I posted this in emergencies but going to try here too. I went to check on my little NN and to but the boots back on because it keeps getting it off. Anyway, when we took it out it now has a mass on the side of its neck. It is still very vocal and eating but has the mass. It was cuddling with the other chicks when we went up to get it. It has been eating and drinking.. My daughter just hand fed it with no problem. Please somebody help me.

This little one has become our favorite little chick.

 

[mlaff]

Ok, nevermind. I feel dumb now. Found out it is its crop.

 

[mlaff]

your farm innovators has most of the stuff you need to build an incubator. I would suggest buying a wafer thermostat if yours does not have it. you can also go digital, but my luck is better with wafers. if you already have a turner for your incubator build your new box to reuse it.

don't get me wrong brisnea is a pretty good incubator. but my experience is you can build one a lot cheaper. I have not drawn it out, but I have plans for one in my head that you should be able to build for about $250-300 that can hold up to 1000 eggs. I did put my turner diagram on the inventions thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631861/diy-thread-lets-see-your-inventions/580#post_11135328.

I am not a handy person when it comes to building things. I do not have the turner, i did turn my eggs 3 times a day. And if I had something that could hold 1000 eggs I would be in lots of trouble. I wonder if i could get my brother to come up with something for me...hmmmm. He is the one who is helping me build my coop our of recycled materials. He seems to come up with a million ideas.

 

[cluckitall]

Ok, nevermind. I feel dumb now. Found out it is its crop.

Don't feel dumb! The first time I saw baby chicks with stuffed crops, I thought they looked seriously deformed, too

 

[chickenpooplady]

Ok, nevermind. I feel dumb now. Found out it is its crop.

Don't worry about it. The first time I raised meat chickens, I thought that the crop was the breast.

 

[loveourbirds]

I am not a handy person when it comes to building things. I do not have the turner, i did turn my eggs 3 times a day. And if I had something that could hold 1000 eggs I would be in lots of trouble. I wonder if i could get my brother to come up with something for me...hmmmm. He is the one who is helping me build my coop our of recycled materials. He seems to come up with a million ideas.

a person who is not handy, is that way because they believe they are not handy. (I think Confucius said that LOL) the best way to learn this stuff is to do it. im sure your brother would be glad to teach you why he does things the way he does. also keep in mind that when the pioneers came here, they came with what they could carry/haul in one trip.

so many farmers are intimidated by construction. it does not take any fancy knowledge, with a little ingenuity you can make almost anything. of course you do need some basic tools: a saw, and a comfortable hammer. a tape measure and square are really not needed, but they do make the job a lot easier. a very basic knowledge of geometry is needed. and a level does help. for several of our first settlers, a chicken coop was probably not much more than a few small trees used as posts with saplings and wild grapevines woven in between. pigs were kept in by driving pointed pieces of wood into the ground, a lot of times they would weave them with bark or grapevine.

also did you know that ancient Egyptians incubated eggs? they would build large oven like structures that hatched millions. the person who ran them likely lived in them. they regulated the temperature and humidity by feel. the whole chicken process does not need to be thought of like brain surgery.

as humans, especially in the modern day. we take so many easy things and complicate them all up. our computers, blackberries, cell phones, GPS, even our cars have gotten so complicated that most people have to take classes to learn how to use them. I myself do have a degree in electronics engineering and computer information systems. when I was younger I grew up on a farm. my parents had greenhouses, we processed our own meat, we heated with wood in the house and greenhouse, for fun we made apple cider some summers with an antique cider press that had been passed through the family. growing up I swore I would never farm, or work in greenhouses/gardens, and I would never heat my house with wood. I went to college, worked in electronics for a short time, and decided I hated the offices. my dad, realizing how much i hated things, gave me the family business of moving houses. i couldn't make any money at it, but i loved the feeling of being in the sun. since then i have driven trucks, worked on sawmills, had a wood shop, made the dog boxes hunters haul their dogs in, worked in a nursery (plants not babies), worked as a professional gardner, and now to chicken farming. notice how i ended up doing the things i said i wouldn't?

learning to build things for your farm is a very rewarding thing. imagine how you would feel when your friends see the coop YOU built. when they comment on how good of a job you've done.

as you start building things, if you get stuck; ask someone. they might smile as they answer your question, but they will probably never laugh at you. that's why we are all on here. we are learning from others knowledge and mistakes. anytime you need help, if i can help i will. if i cant i will do my best to help you find the info you need.


on a completely different subject. the first time i noticed my chicken's crops, i called my brother at midnight and made him come and look at my chickens. i felt so dumb when he got out of bed and drove here to tell me it was natural.

 

[mlaff]

Don't worry about it. The first time I raised meat chickens, I thought that the crop was the breast.

Lol I txt my friend and asked her too. DH was asking how its doing and I said it was ok. I told him if we had to get rid of our chicks I would hide it or run away with it. It is hands down my favorite. It eats out of our hands and is just too cute. We ended up naming it Sweetness. Lol the other one was sour. The joy of living at my house is we name most of our animals after foods. We have a cat named Tuna. Our chicks so far with names are nugget, tempora, cordon blu, big red, road runner, ostri, and Goldie locks.

About meat chickens. We thought we had one but turns out rural king was wrong and had the bin misnamed. We have two and they are just the ugliest things. They are our test chicks to see if we can actually process them or if we chicken out.