The Old Folks Home

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

mmmmmm.....okra

 

[getaclue]

Question: Putting a digital thermostat in a friend's incubator. She had a wafer thermostat, and a fan. Got everything hooked up, however, when the heating element shuts off, so does the fan. Does the fan need to run continuously, or just while the heating element is on? Mine is still air, so I'm not really sure if the fan cuts off and on when the heating element does, or not.

 

[Pozees]

getaclue, my fans run continuously as far as I can tell. I don't know whether they need to, but suspect so to maintain a more even temperature throughout the incubator.

 

[ronott1]

Question: Putting a digital thermostat in a friend's incubator. She had a wafer thermostat, and a fan. Got everything hooked up, however, when the heating element shuts off, so does the fan. Does the fan need to run continuously, or just while the heating element is on? Mine is still air, so I'm not really sure if the fan cuts off and on when the heating element does, or not.

It sounds like the fan is connected to the thermostat. It should be connected to always on power. There will be temperature spikes with a set up like that.

 

[chickadoodles]

Ok, can y'all please tell me if my turkey eggs do hatch in the coop with all the other hens should I move mom and poults to a pen to be alone or try to let her protect them in with all the other hens and two roosters?
I was thinking of trying to move her before they hatch but I am scared she will abandon the eggs if I do.

 

[getaclue]

Thanks for the information. It's not a problem to change it, so it will remain on continuously.

 

[ronott1]

Thanks for the information. It's not a problem to change it, so it will remain on continuously.

I hope it is a great hatch!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Ok, can y'all please tell me if my turkey eggs do hatch in the coop with all the other hens should I move mom and poults to a pen to be alone or try to let her protect them in with all the other hens and two roosters?
I was thinking of trying to move her before they hatch but I am scared she will abandon the eggs if I do.

My turkeys will abandon the nest if I touch it. However, my flock tends to kill chicks (and adolescents) even with an angry mom as a protector. I would move after hatching, if possible.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How do you tell ant queens from regular ants? Bee queens only leave the nest once to mate. And I have never been able to locate my queen in any of my hives (and I at least have a finite number of places to look for her). I'm content enough with noting eggs and larva, so I know she's been alive within the past 21 days.

The queen will usually be on a frame with eggs and uncapped larvae. When she pauses, a circle of attendants will form around her.
I like marked queens for the reason you mention.

That's horrible Guy I only have. 2 hens laying ( black penedesenca) but I can send you some eggs. Do you have any traps? Trap kill and hang them in A tree to keep others away

I stuck every egg I had in the incubator over the last couple of days.

It's gotten worse. I have a hav-a-hart and a duke dog proof leg trap. I caught a large coon in each the last few days. I know some of the attacks were raccoons since the siding was pulled off but worse yet, I now have a new nemesis. I was amazed something could get under the door of the brooder house since it is only about an inch to the concrete floor but I've seen raccoons squeeze through small spaces. Well, I battened down all the openings on the building that had only 4 birds left, a rooster and 3 hens. Yesterday morning I went to let them out and they were all dead. I couldn't figure out how anything got in there. It turns out I have weasels. Yesterday they killed all the baby chicks that were out foraging with the broodies in the middle of the day. They're very hard to trap. I'm going to have to get a bunch of leg traps and keep the remaining birds locked up till they're gone.
I'm devastated at the number of losses. In just 4 days I went from 40 hens, 10 cocks and 16 chicks to 14 hens, 1 cock and 8 chicks.
Never had a weasel here in 20 years, till now.

 

[Latestarter]

Wow CC... Truly sorry you're having these problems. And it seems once they start, it only gets worse... Wish I had a suggestion about the weasels... they are a nightmare to deal with. I don't even think poisoned bait will work on them as they're live kill predators only. Hope you get them, one way or another. Good luck and good hunting (trapping)!