Washingtonians

[jbear]

Quote:
I have been using something very similar .. I was just wondering, if maybe, that it wasn't working really. I thought maybe in my hatcher the humidity was too low, but if you guys are hatching between 50-60% then I am not--because that's where the hatcher stays consistantly... 60%. I keep my brinsea at about 38% for this go around. I ran it at 40-42% last time, there were a lot of late deaths, which I read might be due to high humidity. Hmmm experimenting experimenting.. I guess it's all in getting to know your incubator too isn't it? and where it is in the house? etc etc.


** I HAVE MORE SERAMA EGGS!!** Those fool hens are laying like crazy. I get at least 3 a day from Romeo's pen... anyone want to buy some?

lol!

--> Cloverleaf and Dawn-- how are your eggs doing? Good I hope

CR--shall we twist your arm to be The Tester??

 

[Chickielady]

I can everything, water bath and pressure, and all my stuff is in storage in NorCal

I also dehydrate what I cannot can

, and I do not like sulfites so use other preservatives like lemon juice.
I have a professional food dehydrator(reminds me of the sportsman incubator) and a little round fanless one.
I dry my herbs, mushrooms and vegies chopped fine for soup mixes and herbal 'zests' and seasonings.
I dry most all fruits, and store in glass jars.
I will also dry diced onion, green and yellow, and slivered carrot, and such you can toss a handful in a pilof or soup.
I freeze and can fruits too, apricots, peaches and plums.
I make jam out of everything so have stopped doing it lately, but this spring it is raspberry and blackberry.
No seeds, DH hates the seeds.
What else ?
Typical hippie farmer:
Tie dyeing, quilting, sewing, macrame, sand cast candles (a favorite!) and form cast candles..(bet Ogress remembers) what else ?
Batik ?
Oooh, did it shortly and cannot remember how...I am a mad quilter though..good thing DH has not brough my machine up here from NorCal yet, I will quilt all night until I fall asleep on the machine.....then have jute hanging from the rafters doing macrame....love the "hands-on years" I had as a kid/with my Mother/ and as a young woman.
All the dairy on the Atkins diet is killing me...I need goats milk

 

[Chickielady]

I have been using a home made incubator with fan and a GQF element & wafer, and a styrofoam little giant/ we added turners and fans to both.
So far, the styrofoam seems to drown chicks if the humidity is over 50% at lockdown, the home made GQF does excellent on lockdowns of 60+% (like 67%)
So, still fiddling with the Sportsman...Still have yet to even OPEN the Farm Master.

 

[Chickielady]

OK. where is Chatty Chavez today ?

I am loaded with critters and ready to drive to Forks first thing in the morning and chatty is no where to be found and so I do not have direct to the house directions...

 

[Chickielady]

I had the same problem Jen_ late deaths with fully formed babies= failure to pip, and some told me it was too much humidity and still more said it was not enough and so the membrane is too tough for the baby to peck through.
Ei-yei-yei.

OK all, goodnight !!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:
Ouch ouch ouch stop the pain OK OK OK I give up I will do it.

 

[TheReidHomestead]

Robin! You have to post pics of some of your quilts! I've just gotten into quilting in the last year or so and I'm loving it.

I need to get myself a food dehydrator too. I tend to freeze a lot of stuff. Chop up green peppers, freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and add them to a zip lock bag. Chopped onions too. I freeze all our berries too and we use them in smoothies. Which I can't wait to add the kefir too!!!! I haven't made jam the last two years and the kids are all over me about it. Must do it this summer. We have loads and loads of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. If anyone near me wants raspberry or strawberry starts, let me know!

Jen, you are tempting me with those serama eggs! I'm driving down to visit Cowgirlgrace in Gig Harbor on Saturday to get some chicks......maybe we can meet up? I'm planning to fire up the incubator early next week! PM me!

 

[Ogress]

Quote:
I'm with you, CR!

I love the idea of barn-raising, canning, etc... as well, but I know I am far too much of a flake if it takes driving more than 15 miles. I'd certainly be willing to do a swap for items I can or dehydrate here for other people's canned goods. Maybe I'll arrange for a party in the late fall when everyone is done with their canning and we can all bring our excess items for trade .... bring a jar, take a jar, like how they do the book swap at school (can do that too!)

Sallal Grange in North Bend has a large kitchen that they rent out...

DS and I primed some of the chicken coop interior this afternoon. I thought 1 can would be more than plently, but those old boards sure absorb a lot .... going to get 2 more gallons tomorrow .... not sure this will be done before the snow comes...

 

[TheReidHomestead]

I have been using something very similar .. I was just wondering, if maybe, that it wasn't working really

Jen, did you calibrate them? I did and mine were pretty close, one was 1-2% off and the other was 3-4% off. There is a thread on here somewhere that tells you how to do it. I think it's 1/2 cup of salt in a mug with 1/4 cup water poured in & stirred. Place in ziplock with hygrometers. in 12-24 hrs the hygrometers should read 75%. If they don't, you have to take the difference into account when using them.​

 

[TheReidHomestead]

Can I share my hippy organic earthy crunchy far left cousin's husband's t-shirt website?

http://www.eatmorekale.com/

Enjoy!