South Carolina

[Jackie B.]

Quote:
Craigslist

No, don't mean to be a smartie. Id go for liquidation places or before you start searching, look online at the big box stores so you can compare prices quicker than acutally making the trips. Heck even check like overstock.com and amazon and ebay for supplies.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
Also depends on the incubator

i have a sportsman 1502 gqf

Yeah, I love my Sportsman 1202! I often for get to add water and will open it to see it registering 25%. Whoops. But I just add it and everything is fine. I don't do a dry hatch because so often I have duck eggs going with the chicken eggs. And I feel that ducks just have a tougher time with the membrane so I try to keep it fairly soft the entire incubation time since mama ducks bathe every time they get off the nest. Chickens could probably be fine with very little moisture during the first 18 days.

Off to the PO to pick up more eggs. Blue Ameraucanas again.

 

[Jackie B.]

How do we feel about this as a grow out/broody pen? I know I'll need to replace chicken wire. Solar panel? Really?

http://asheville.craigslist.org/grd/2472943894.html

 

[WestKnollAmy]

That kinda throws me. Chicken tractor/solar heating panel.....I suppose that means it is hot as the dickens because of the metal. That is why I use the PVC roofing material. So much cooler.

Of course, with all your big trees and shade it may not be an issue. I think $100 is a bit steep considering I know how much it cost for my materials but then labor on top of that would add to the price. It looks like they used plastic netting material instead of hardware cloth so it would not be predator safe.
I really think you could build one for less and be happier with it.

 

[Jackie B.]

Ha! Yeah it's basically a pressure cooker with all that metal. Geeze.

 

[CarolinaChickenKeeper]

So what's the solar panel for?

 

[phoneman]

Quote:
i have a sportsman 1502 gqf

Yeah, I love my Sportsman 1202! I often for get to add water and will open it to see it registering 25%. Whoops. But I just add it and everything is fine. I don't do a dry hatch because so often I have duck eggs going with the chicken eggs. And I feel that ducks just have a tougher time with the membrane so I try to keep it fairly soft the entire incubation time since mama ducks bathe every time they get off the nest. Chickens could probably be fine with very little moisture during the first 18 days.

Off to the PO to pick up more eggs. Blue Ameraucanas again.

i dont have ducks anymore. so i am not putting water in until day 18 and see if this works . right now it is22% humidity. and i have 30 blue ameruacana eggs,and 27 black ameruacana eggs. cooking now and 24 blue ameruacana and 21 black ameruacana eggs to add today

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I know people that dry hatch all the time but I have not ever done that. They say they have good hatches but I am not about to mess with the outcome I have going now. I get 98% hatch rates so why mess with success? But it is cool to hear of others doing it differently and hearing the outcomes.
Although DH and I tease about putting the bator out on the deck and not plugging it in. Between humidity and the heat index we figure we are just wasting power on plugging in 3 bators in an air conditioned house!

 

[RedBugPoultry]

I am confused(which is not hard to do) why are you not adding water to your incubators? Are you having issues with your hatches or just trying something different? I add very little water to my Hovabator but I always add water in my Sportsman. Are your air pockets too big? Is that what you are working with? Problem hatches? Just trying to follow the thread....

 

[Jackie B.]

Quote:
Heat in the winter? But I'm guessing the "solar panel"
Is in year round?