Tis Time for a March 2020 Hatch-a-long!

[CluckNDoodle]

I only like the ones with the screw on bottom.

The one thing that I have found that works the best is getting a 5-gallon bucket and putting the water cups on it. I did this last year and we still have it, they use it every single day.

I really like the little gravity fed water cups too. Not sure if that's the kind you're talking about about but they're great!

 

[FortCluck]

I really like the little gravity fed water cups too. Not sure if that's the kind you're talking about about but they're great!

Mine have a yellow thing they hit and it fills... That's what you're talking about? I got mine at TSC. There were 2 in a pack. I'm going to make two more buckets like that for the summer.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

From what I remember... they basically raised the height with styrofoam. A platform of sorts for the lid. Either taped it to the lid or base, I don’t remember, but it didn’t look rickety. Remember emu eggs are incubated at a lower temp than chickens, and they need lots of good air circulation. The biggest hindrance I see with using the nr360 would be trying to keep the humidity steady.

I'm definitely going to look into this! Thank you!!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Mine have a yellow thing they hit and it fills... That's what you're talking about? I got mine at TSC. There were 2 in a pack. I'm going to make two more buckets like that for the summer.

Oh ok! I looked at those too but I was worried some of my chickens were too dumb. lol

 

[Rockporters]

Oh my goodness I'm so sorry you experienced that! I made a huge mistake last year, I leave large stainless steel dog bowls out with water in them for the hens to dip their heads in and sometimes stand in when it's hot out...well I had broody hens running around with chicks...I lost a baby in a dog bowl.
Quail can't wait as long in the incubator as chickens, if I remember correctly it's recommended to move them to the brooder after 24 hours so it might be a good idea to move your little bumble bee. ❤

ugh, I’m so sorry, that must’ve been terrible. The waterer was the regular, plastic chick kind with plastic bottle. I’ve decided that, except for cleaning and dumping LOL, I like these waterers; Chick waterers

I’ll check with him to see if he took it out. I told him to, and gave instructions, which might’ve sealed the deal for him to not do what I asked lol. I‘m heading up soon, so I’ll rescue it if he hasn’t.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I've lost more adult chickens (3+) or wild birds (9+) in the horse trough than babies. It happens so often I can tell just by looking out the window from the house, 100+' away. Based on the body language of the horses. I go fish the body out. Once a magpie was still alive. After drying out it flew away!

Another time it was a hen who was border line feral. We spoke about penning up all the birds, no more free ranging, because of a recent uptick in predictor attacks. We found her the next day in the trough. We joked she'd heard us talking and decided she's rather die free than be cooped up.

I can't recall ever having a chick drown. Lost many to about every other issue just not that one. The waterer I use is super tiny. It's changed daily and upgraded when they are more active at about a week. Here's a pic of the starter one. This is the smallest one I've seen available at feed stores.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I've lost more adult chickens (3+) or wild birds (9+) in the horse trough than babies. It happens so often I can tell just by looking out the window from the house, 100+' away. Based on the body language of the horses. I go fish the body out. Once a magpie was still alive. After drying out it flew away!

Another time it was a hen who was border line feral. We spoke about penning up all the birds, no more free ranging, because of a recent uptick in predictor attacks. We found her the next day in the trough. We joked she'd heard us talking and decided she's rather die free than be cooped up.

I can't recall ever having a chick drown. Lost many to about every other issue just not that one. The waterer I use is super tiny. It's changed daily and upgraded when they are more active at about a week. Here's a pic of the starter one. This is the smallest one I've seen available at feed stores.

View attachment 2061794

Wow! I had no idea about troughs being like that.

That's a quail waterer if anyone is wanting to get one. I have one too for when I hatch quail peeps. I've never lost a chick in a regular chick sized waterer though.
My favorite chick feeder to use came in the quail waterer/feeder package I bought and I much prefer it to the taller feeders. I can't seem to find them sold individually though.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

Wow! I had no idea about troughs being like that.

That's a quail waterer if anyone is wanting to get one. I have one too for when I hatch quail peeps. I've never lost a chick in a regular chick sized waterer though.
My favorite chick feeder to use came in the quail waterer/feeder package I bought and I much prefer it to the taller feeders. I can't seem to find them sold individually though.

Wow, thank you for sharing! I never knew it had an actual name. I'll have Google the feeder. Maybe pick one of those up. A couple of the farm store near me do stock them. At least the waterer.


As for the water trough. It's mostly on very hot days. When the horses have been drinking a lot and the waterline has dropped well below the rim. When puddles and shallower sources of water are dried up. I've considered building a ramp or something but that hasn't happened yet. I keep a dog bowl filled with water in the barn all year round for birds. Hoping they'll just all use that. I'll still catch hens standing on the rim of the horse trough leaning in for water when the full dog bowl is about 6" away and also has fresh clean water in it . I don't get it.

 

[Phillyndilly]

ugh, I’m so sorry, that must’ve been terrible. The waterer was the regular, plastic chick kind with plastic bottle. I’ve decided that, except for cleaning and dumping LOL, I like these waterers; Chick waterers

I’ll check with him to see if he took it out. I told him to, and gave instructions, which might’ve sealed the deal for him to not do what I asked lol. I‘m heading up soon, so I’ll rescue it if he hasn’t.

Oh wow I like that one I’m looking for a good waterer for the chickens

 

[Trisseh]

So my chicken eggs are all in lockdown, the Icelandic’s at the end of day 18, and I put the silkies in too (d16 for them) because I have a feeling those little suckers are probably going to hatch early. So my numbers so far, going into lockdown:

Icelandic: 7 eggs set, 1 clear, 2 quitters, 4 to lockdown. Hatch rate TBD.
Silkie: 7 eggs set, all viable, 1 quitter around day 12. 6 to lockdown. Hatch rate TBD.

and now that these are in the homemade still air.... Indian runner eggs went in the janoel 12.

that thing gets so much hotter with these egg though... no idea why. I thought I had the settings all good to go but I’ve had to adjust them a fair bit to not cook these guys...