Washingtonians

[mikeyb]

Quote: This is so awsome. Me and #1 son have been brain stormin' about hot boxes for next year to start plants. I have a 4 x 4 skylite I can use as a cover. I "think" (yes dangerous thing for me) I may have a source for the glass inserts. got my fingers crossed.
Thanks for the pics.

 

[TerrorBird]

Quote: Yeah, you need a tougher rooster! One that feels like he rules the roost! Not one that is scared of his own shadow. Sorry about losing another one.

I've got a couple of roosters you can have.

Ron, I can vouch for the effectiveness of a Brabanter rooster (can't say anything about Appenzellers). Mine chased a small hawk away and my Belgian lived to tell the tale. He sees the Stellar's Jays come in and charges over to the feeder because he thinks they might be a threat. He's smart enough to see that I'm not a threat to the girls (I cuddle and pet them all the time), so he doesn't call them away from me. If the Appenzellers are as smart and bold as Brabanters, you can't lose.

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
No problem!

You can take them out, be quick about it, I think it's better to take them out after 12 - 24, as it has been stated earlier, the pipping and peeping and movement of eggs all facilitates the rest to hatch, it's kind of like having a cheering section!

The other thing is don't put any of the eggs close to the turner's motor, the one thing about those incubators is the temp can vary in different parts of the incubator, what type of thermometers do you have? Digital suck!! I have had so many problems with it giving variable temps. And the LG are so temperamental ! just a small turn can make them go way up!! Or down!

Try to think like a hen, they get up and down and move the eggs etc, it's just the last three days you don't want to open the incubator. I have learned so much in the short time I've been doing this. And lot's of the info I got right on this thread. There is a thread on here specifically talking about the LG. Also, if you get the meat thermometer's that you can adjust, all you have to do is calibrate it at 32 degrees, using a plastic drinking cup and ice water.

Oh yea, and you may already know this but chicks can get a long for about 2-3 days without food, because they got their nourishment from the yolk, so it's OK if they stay in the incubator for that long. but, I always worry about the heating element so I take them out after they dry off.
I know this is late info so I hope all went ok?

 

[mikeyb]

Quote: I'm happy for you that your puddytat came home. He was out romancin' the ladies I betcha!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
We hit 25 last night. The silkie mama wouldn't let her chicks out this morning until it warmed.

ETA. I did have to break a skin of ice off the 2 gallon water bowls this morning for the chickens. The 5 gallon poultry waterer in with the silkies and chicks was fine though.

wow!! yikes!! I don't like that! I hate hauling water and breaking ice!

 

[JennS]

So I went out to the barn to look at my thermo cube to see if it would work outside. It will NOT fit vertically. There was a Hawk inside my run and it had one of my babies. When it saw me it dropped the baby and flew up into a tree. It was pretty small. lot smaller then my hens. Where was my rooster????? UNDER the barn. He's out of here next week!!!! the baby was dead. so I have lost two babies in a week. I can't cover my run it is something like 70 ft. X 100 ft

Sorry for your loss. That sucks!

I read that on big open pens you could string wire or rope across the top and tie ribbons to it to deter birds of prey. Maybe worth a try? I hope you can stop the hawk.

Jennifer

 

[JennS]

Hey Jennifer! Can you share more pics of your babies?? I would love to see what all this pipping looks like!

I've got to run an errand and then will take some and post them. Progress has stalled again. Grrr.

Jennifer

 

[pettec63]

Quote: I think they can do fine for a little more than 48, but if there are no more pips then I woul take it out. I know it is hard to watch the baby/ies walk all over the eggs but they do fine. I had 13 chicks hatch and the first ones out were all over the others, even when they were zipping and actually pushing out of the egg. I think watching the whole process is harder than giving birth myself! I was much more stressed and lost a lot of sleep just checking the bator. But the one peice of advice that Tamara gave me that I almost 100% followed was don't open the bator. And I say almost because my son knew what to look for and said that there were no more pips and opened it up to take out all the chicks. It turned out there was one more, but the pip was just in a spot that ws really hard to see. I am pretty sure it got shrink wrapped and died. I would have helped it out, but I didn't get home in time.

We were both sad and learned a big lesson.
I do like hatching in egg cartons. The eggs are more stable during the hatching process.

I just read your post again and it says you had an egg turner? Then did you take them out of the turner and lay them on the bottom of the bator?
I have read somewhere that it is better to either just turn off the egg turner and hatch them in that or put them in egg cartons. I am not sure about hatching them in the egg turner, but the thought was that they will have better luck pipping in the right place if the postion of the egg is kept relatively the same. I have only hatched eggs myself once, but I had a good teacher/support person. Thanks Tamara!

Yep that's who helped me also! I don't use the turner to hatch myself, I take it out and lay the eggs on the wire with paper towel down on part of it. Also, monitoring humidity is important as Kim says about shrink wrapping. I would say for me that's the toughest part, cause I haven't been able to find a reliable hygrometer. Good stuff KIm!!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
They make heated tape that you can wrap around the pipes - might be an option if the length of pipe/hose is short enough that it is cost effective.
Or if you llike the nipple waterers make a 3 or 5 gallon one with the push in nipples and hang it with a fish tank heater in it. I got one and am planning on getting two more so that all my bucket waterers have one. The waterer would be cheap, but the in tank heater can be like $25-$30. Just an idea

I like how clean the water stays with the nipple system.

That's what we're doing, Terry just ordered the nipples they should be any day!! Yea!!!! Great idea about the fish tank heater Kim! Awesome! Thanks for the tip!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
x2!!