Well, I must be hatching, have infant chicks and expecting newborn poults delivered today because FIRST thing this morning the power went out.
I went into total half panic/half handle it mode. Put towels on the eggs opened the bators. Put extra draft proofing on the brooder outdoors on the patio and prayed the sheer mass of 3 week olds and one week olds would keep them warm and RAN for Walmart for a largeeeee clear plastic bin. I'd have to put all of the 3wks, 1 week and yesterday into it and try to keep it at temp.
Fortunately I'd already come up with a way to heat it. I'd used it before in a pinch for a rescue squirrel at the time. Take iron skillet and fill with sand. Start a fire or start the BBQ. Heat the skillet and sand, remove, cool slightly, wrap in towels. Stuff towel wrapped skillet into a large draft free container. Bingo, warm.
It's no fun to maintain but can be done. Sand keeps the skillet heat retention pretty high.
I would have used a good rock or bricks but it's been pouring for most of a month and everything is soaked and if you put water containing rock or brick on a heat source it can and will explode. Sand won't explode. Handy that way.
My usual brooders won't work for that, too open, so had to go get the bin.
Despite the panic, the power finally came back on and behind me I hear the first peepings from the fridgebator. It's up at 93 and rising. The Uglybator is actually back up to temp already with the six day old eggs in it.
I wasn't too worried about the six day old eggs. Worse come to worse I'd have yanked the chicken eggs from one of the broodies and stuffed my precious last few turkey eggs under there. The chickens would have replaced a lot more easily than the poults in those last six eggs.
It couldn't possibly be a hatching day around here without some disaster. Just glad the worst is over...
I went into total half panic/half handle it mode. Put towels on the eggs opened the bators. Put extra draft proofing on the brooder outdoors on the patio and prayed the sheer mass of 3 week olds and one week olds would keep them warm and RAN for Walmart for a largeeeee clear plastic bin. I'd have to put all of the 3wks, 1 week and yesterday into it and try to keep it at temp.
Fortunately I'd already come up with a way to heat it. I'd used it before in a pinch for a rescue squirrel at the time. Take iron skillet and fill with sand. Start a fire or start the BBQ. Heat the skillet and sand, remove, cool slightly, wrap in towels. Stuff towel wrapped skillet into a large draft free container. Bingo, warm.
It's no fun to maintain but can be done. Sand keeps the skillet heat retention pretty high.
I would have used a good rock or bricks but it's been pouring for most of a month and everything is soaked and if you put water containing rock or brick on a heat source it can and will explode. Sand won't explode. Handy that way.
My usual brooders won't work for that, too open, so had to go get the bin.
Despite the panic, the power finally came back on and behind me I hear the first peepings from the fridgebator. It's up at 93 and rising. The Uglybator is actually back up to temp already with the six day old eggs in it.
I wasn't too worried about the six day old eggs. Worse come to worse I'd have yanked the chicken eggs from one of the broodies and stuffed my precious last few turkey eggs under there. The chickens would have replaced a lot more easily than the poults in those last six eggs.
It couldn't possibly be a hatching day around here without some disaster. Just glad the worst is over...
