The Old Folks Home

[dsqard]

SCG hopefully this will keep you going.

Only 2 1/2 months!
Cynthia, glad to hear that the moles are not cancer!
Baby chick pictures are making me wish for spring even harder!

 

[chickadoodles]

This winter is making us all crazy across the country, I am also so ready for spring!

The NPIP agents came out yesterday to test my birds again and they had an awful muddy mess to deal with. But at least they got all my birds done and did not make me go out there in all that mud!
Because my agent was training a new guy he had help!

I still need to find at least another 20 birds... Still looking.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

For the antique cabinet incubator, this is the kit I was posting about yesterday:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/pr...-incubator-thermostat-fan-heater/reviews/8530

I've gone through two of those kits. The first one worked well for a few days and the heater quit part way through the incubation so those eggs were ruined. They sent me another heat element and then the controller went nuts. I got another controller and the original and the replacement started working ok. I set more eggs with one controller on the incubator and one on the hatcher. I had a 5% hatch rate. None of the shipped eggs made it and only a few of mine. I invested in accurate thermometers and realized that the controllers were way off.

I made it through the last hatch by adjusting the controller based on my thermometers and ignoring the other. Most of the time I had the incubator controller set at 92 to keep it at 99. The same with the hatcher controller but then it started reading accurately. So sometimes I had to adjust the controller temp daily. That was a hassle which is why I installed a dual channel high/low alarm thermometer for both units.

I love the concept and I may just have gotten some lemons but I cooked a lot of expensive eggs.
I've bought other things from them that I like but I won't rely on those again.

I already had redundant heat elements and controllers in the hatcher. (figuring if the embryos made it to day 18, I wouldn't take a chance on a failure)

For next hatch, I'm still using the heater/blower element from the kit for the incubator but replacing the controllers with something else. I'm also installing a redundant heat element and thermostat in the incubator unit.

This is the one I'm replacing the incubator kit controller with.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fahrenheit-...957?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a62ba415
If it works well (and I've heard it does), I'll get another for the hatcher.

This is the one I have as redundant controller for the hatcher currently and I'm getting another for the redundant incubator control.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Very-Accura...970?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aaa619da2
It doesn't have the nice digital display but it has worked well and is only $12.50.

These are the heat elements I'm using.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/125-Watt-Ca...912?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f202d7a00
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250-watt-co...592?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d03f063a8


If I had it to do over again, I may have made the incubator 220VAC. It sits right next to my power panels so it would have been simple.
Then I'd probably use this one that's $15 with a precision of 0.1 Celsius.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELECTRONIC-...737?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2b79a899

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's not necessarily true. It's really cold here until June/July and our growing season is about 90 days. I was having fires in the wood stove in July. We generally have to plant short season crops and/or hybrids that are more vigorous although every year I do attempt something stupid like watermelons.

Just finished two hours of snowblowing and shoveling while BF plowed the driveway. It's not pretty, but it's done and the birds and goats are now able to leave their prison walls. And... it's snowing again. It was supposed to taper off and stop by 11 but it doesn't appear to be doing that right now.

Our 10 day forecast has 5 days of snow.

I am so excited. I can't wait to see more snow and to shovel it. Maybe if I act excited about it it won't come.

Good idea. I'll do the same.

I'm so mad, it is supposed to get into the 50s for a couple days next week.

We might lose most of our snow.

This winter is making us all crazy across the country, I am also so ready for spring!

The NPIP agents came out yesterday to test my birds again and they had an awful muddy mess to deal with. But at least they got all my birds done and did not make me go out there in all that mud!
Because my agent was training a new guy he had help!

I still need to find at least another 20 birds... Still looking.

How do they catch them to get the blood test?

Don't you need to retest when you get new birds or do the new ones have to be NPIP to bring them in?

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Good idea. I'll do the same.

I'm so mad, it is supposed to get into the 50s for a couple days next week.

We might lose most of our snow.

My parents in Virginia got about a foot of snow. They're going to get up in the 50s and 60s the next few days and their snow removal method is "wait and watch." My snow removal method varies depending on the time of the year - the earlier the better you have to be at it - give yourself a lot of cleared space so you have more areas to shove snow into as the season progresses and it doesn't melt. Screw up in October and you'll be crying in December.

 

[chickadoodles]

Good idea. I'll do the same.

I'm so mad, it is supposed to get into the 50s for a couple days next week.

We might lose most of our snow.


How do they catch them to get the blood test?

Don't you need to retest when you get new birds or do the new ones have to be NPIP to bring them in?

My birds are pretty tame and most will let you pick them up. But I have wire for the front section of my run that I can open up to confine the birds to a small area to make it easier to catch them by hand. Also we can close off the coop to keep them out in the run. I pay 10.00 for the blood test and my permit no matter how many birds I have. The guy does have a bird net but he does not use it on my birds as they are so tame.
I am only buying NPIP birds, as long as I buy NPIP my agent just logs the number in for those birds. And I will quarantine the trio when I get them even though they are also NPIP.
I could bring in non NPIP if I wanted to and quarantine them and call my agent to get him to come out and test them, I did once and I regretted it! As one rooster was sick and I treated the whole bunch with antibiotics then sold them quick!

We have a quarantine pen on the other side of our property. But I will never again buy birds that are not NPIP.
We are going to be building all new pens for all the new birds we have coming in this spring. Each pen will have a small hutch and nest for eggs. I am still wondering if I should do hatching eggs for my other birds or just go get some birds? Idk yet. I can't even think of any more large fowl birds that I have not already ordered or bought, but I am sure I am missing a bunch.... lol

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
I tried that last year so I went back to work.

 

[Cynthia12]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

 

[Highcotton]

Airelle, the problem I have with cats is that they always have to walk between my feet and them they yowl when you step on them. They are going to kill me one day.

 

[drumstick diva]

SCG I know how you must be suffering - we have pretty much the same weather but, on a smaller basis. Of course it's suburban here and houses close together. I can't throw snow any higher, I am just a very short person. I did notice the backyard snow is much lower but, I'd have to use a wheelbarrow to lug stuff there. Too lazy, rather just complain.

WE are supposed to have a warm up 40-50 next week (uh huh, I'll believe it when it happens)which will mean lots of meltage freezing again each night into a skating rink. Besides the two biggest snow falls we ever had came on the heels of an unseasonable warm-up. Duh!! Will just stay inside and hope for the best when the ice cream runs out. To be honest I have gone thru so many ice cream cartons I've gotten sick of it, and let some melt down the drain in the kitchen. What is wrong with me? What can I pig out on besides ice cream, I even got sick of Nutella and the like - too sweet.

Hope you have some LLBean parkas and snow pants to get you thru this? My son left his Rugged Ridge Parka here (Xmas gift from years ago)- he said it was too hot to wear in Washington(where he lives). If it gets really bad I just put on his parka. When he comes for the Xmas holiday - I have to wash and vacuum the thing really well. He checks for gray hairs. IF he knew I wore it - he'd have a fit and say my' cooties 'were on it. I keep reminding him where he was for "9mos." before he was born - that upsets him too.