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

[mlaff]

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.

Right now my brother is showing me how to build the coop. All we have left is the roof. it has been raining the past couple of days otherwise we would be done. My dad and husband tried to help but their "help" is taking tools away from me and doing it themselves. They are sooo much alike it is crazy. So far it has only cost a whole $35 and it is a 12ft x 8ft coop. Our neighbor donated some supplies, my dad gave us some, and the walls are old fence panels. We are still trying to figure out insulation for winter time but thankfully we have awhile before that is a big issue. The only thing I bought was the 4x4s and the 2x4s I got half off because it was "cull lumber".

I may try to build a incubator down the road. Right now I may try a brinsea just because I need to focus more on my school work, have slacked off massively while incubating this last batch of eggs. Especially this past weekend when they hatched. I also found them on sale for about $145. It is the basic Eco 20 model but would work for me because I don't mind turning it by hand or adding water for humidity. It probably won't be until the end of may until I incubate again. That way I will be done with my term when mp the eggs are due to hatch.

 

[loveourbirds]

your school work is important. and your flock is not big enough to need a huge incubator. and I do give you credit for working on your own chicken coop. as far as winter goes, as a rule of thumb if you cover the coop with plastic leaving the downwind side open (or partially open depending on situation) your chickens will stay warm enough. a heat lamp in the coop does help, and could even be thermostatically controlled. also rubbing vasaline on straight combs helps protect them a lot. as adults, if you notice a comb turning dark at the very tips in the winter, you need to block more wind or add some form of heat.

 

[loveourbirds]

also keep in mind im an incubation addict. I had chicks hatch Saturday, I have another group hatching right now. a couple of hundred eggs to set tomorrow, after I move a small group of turkey eggs to their hatch position. before the end of this summer I will be building at least one of those 1000 egg incubators I was talking about earlier. one of these days I will join hatchaholics anonymous.

 

[Richz Gal]

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.

I have tried MANY bators recently (including the Farm Innovators- both the still and circulated air)... I returned them all. Maintaining a temp and humidity level that is the same throughout the entire bator is nearly impossible with them. SO, I started researching and reading review after review... After review! Finally decided to spend a few extra dollars on the Genesis HovaBator 1588 (plus turner). OhMyGosh!!! What a difference! First off, the styrofoam is at least twice as thick, thus helping maintain temperature and humidity levels. The lid fits down in the base which is much deeper than the base in the FI bators. This depth makes a difference when the eggs hatch because the chicks are able to reach the heating element in the FI models but cannot in the Genesis. Next, there is a nice plastic tray that fits perfectly under the metal grate (which is also higher quality than the other brands) that is a cinch to clean. Cleaning poop stains out of the other brand bators is a challenge and they are usually left stained. Oh! And the viewing area is the best in the 1588! Much larger than two little windows like the others have. Also, the 1588 is digital and comes preset for you at 100f which will actually keep it at the perfect temp to hatch chicks (assuming that is what you are hatching). I keep mine at 100.1 and it holds steady at 99.5. I do keep 2 other thermometer/hygrometers inside the bator to be safe and sometimes have to toy with water to get humidity where I want it but it's not nearly as challenging as the nonstop fidgeting I had to do with my other bators. My hatch rate is much better in the 1588 and I am very happy with my decision. This is all based off my opinion but I hope I have helped make your decision easier. Also, just a tip... IncubatorWarehouse.com offers a 1 year guarantee on their bators but they also sell on Ebay and if you buy from there, they upgrade your warranty to 2 years! I got my 1588 from them on Ebay for the extra year warranty! Eggciting right?!!! Good luck!!!

 

[loveourbirds]

I wish someone would make a double walled plastic incubator, the hovabator mentioned above is a good incubator if your just going to use it a couple of times a year. I bought a hovabator and some little giants when I first started. they done a great job until about the 6-7th hatch. from that point on the hatch rates dropped dramatically. I soaked them in bleach between hatches. the temperature stayed consistent in all but 1 of them. now keep in mind I did use these 24-7 for 4 or so months. I was told later that they had a bacterial buildup where I hatched in them. that bleach doesn't kill the bacteria in Styrofoam very well. if your using several Styrofoam units use one for a hatcher, this will slow the bacteria problem down.

if anyone knows a company that makes a good double wall incubator, that should be easy to sterilize let me know.

 

[Richz Gal]

I wish someone would make a double walled plastic incubator, the hovabator mentioned above is a good incubator if your just going to use it a couple of times a year.  I bought a hovabator and some little giants when I first started. they done a great job until about the 6-7th hatch. from that point on the hatch rates dropped dramatically. I soaked them in bleach between hatches. the temperature stayed consistent in all but 1 of them.  now keep in mind I did use these 24-7 for 4 or so months.  I was told later that they had a bacterial buildup where I hatched in them. that bleach doesn't kill the bacteria in Styrofoam very well.  if your using several Styrofoam units use one for a hatcher, this will slow the bacteria problem down.

if anyone knows a company that makes a good double wall incubator, that should be easy to sterilize let me know.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your bators. All mine were "poopy" until my 1588. I'm a "hatchaholic" myself and my bator has been running nonstop lately too. I hope mine lasts otherwise I'll be taking advantage of that 2 year warranty! Lol! IncubatorWarehouse is coming out with a new one the looked pretty "nifty"!!! There is a video and pictures of a prototype on their site. I am dying to put it to my own test!!! Here is a link to see it. At the bottom is another link where you can watch a video of it. =)

http://incubatorwarehouse.com/egg-incubators/combokits/incuview-combo-kits.html

 

[loveourbirds]

that incubator looks a lot easier to sanitize, I've moved on to sportsman incubators now. when I build me new one(s) im going to line the inside with chemlite or something similar (fiberglass easy to clean panel like in some public bathrooms).
im not meaning hovabators are bad. I just wish someone would make an incubator that is designed to last for years, at the $100 price range. including a self turner.
ive looked at the costs of various thermostats, and tested several here. heating element (nichrome wire) is not that expensive earlier. ive looked into PLC's for controllers. in the end i have found the more simple it is, the better it is overall. the more electronics you add the greater chance of failure, especially with the humidity content in incubators. so what i ask is far from impossible.

i wish i knew someone in the plastic blow molding business.

 

[SowdersHomestead]

Ha ha I'm finding that out quickly!

We started with 8 straight run barred rocks and 5 leghorns. Thankfully all the leghorns are pullets but we only got 1 rock pullet

. We are thinking that we will keep one rock roo and harvest the rest of them

I'm wanting to order some pullets from Murray McMurray and get some different breeds but don't know if we can meet the 15 chick minimum. Also wondering how/if we would be able to integrate younger birds into our flock that is around 10 weeks old now. Is that do able?

If you have the room, fence off an area where the chickens range at and put a small shelter in it for them to sleep. Leave them in it for about a week then open fence up and let them mingle. The older chickens are always going to peck at the younger ones but this makes integrating new chickens a lot easier for use.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

also keep in mind im an incubation addict. I had chicks hatch Saturday, I have another group hatching right now. a couple of hundred eggs to set tomorrow, after I move a small group of turkey eggs to their hatch position. before the end of this summer I will be building at least one of those 1000 egg incubators I was talking about earlier. one of these days I will join hatchaholics anonymous.

wow I would love to discuss raising & breeding chickens with you!! I would like to breed chickens but have never had a rooster before.

Also there is a fb page for hatchaholics great people!

so much for this city girl to learn on the farm raising chickens.

 

[Chickawawa]

Logan county here! Just outside of marysville! First time chicken owner and having fun with it.

Hello and welcome! We are just a few miles away from Logan County but on the southwest side.