Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Terri O]

Good late evening! I was upstairs with the kids trying to get them to go to sleep...NOPE, not happening! We came down at 10:30 and are waiting for Mom to get here...I hope it's soon cause I am very much more tired than they are. I guess I shoulda napped when they did!
Good luck with the pregnancy Amy! Any gut feelings on what it is? Will you find out or do you like the surprise?Went for my check up today and she drew about a gallon of blood! I sure hope they have enough! Then the dentist called--I guess I have an appt there on Tuesday! I will be all tuned up I guess!

Did some rearranging of nest boxes today in preparation of getting the right roos with the right hens...man, it seems like I have been saying that for a month already! I sure hope I make it happen soon!

Kids have flown the coop! Off to bed with me.....yeah! Terriowishingyouagoodnight!

(PS) my vote is for no rules!

 

[Cindlady]

Hi All!
Still haven't figured out the tile/tab thing...

Congrats Amy!

Glad Kissy is getting taken care of soon.

I had chickens with a bad case of worms 2 years ago. I wrommed and they got through it but they did too much damage to one and she died a few months later. I got 21 eggs today! I didn't give them extra light this year so just must be the longer days. The pullets are starting to lay and I got a couple more green eggs!

I wonder how many of the ones I sold are laying green eggs?

Well, that's it... Night All!

 

[Hurley]

Gee do your styrofoam ones have the thermostat? Let me know if you are selling those? We are going to be setting one next week with just th auto turner and no fan or anything...hoping for the best

I have the hovabator rigged with an electronic thermostat and fan, autoturner. Just added the thermostat here a week or so ago, but couldn't be more tickled with how it's holding temps. Night and day better than previous with just the wafer. Styro 2 (the Genesis) still has the wafer thermostat, (ran out of thermostats, hubby stole one for the snake egg incubator) added a fan and autoturner. Smack myself silly for not putting the thermostat on that one instead of the hovabator, newer coil and better window viewing on that one. I may sell the non-thermostat one (Genesis) or get another thermostat and wire it up. I'll keep at least one of them as backups, I guess.

Rigged my little red cabinet incubator (which incidentally, I paid the same for as the Dickey I picked up today, and had to replace the fan and the thermostat to get it anywhere near keeping steady temps throughout) with an electronic thermostat and fans along with ceramic heat instead of a light bulb. That little thing is steady as a rock right now and all the eggs in it save one blood ring look very heatlhy...I'm so stoked, hoping I finally have a good hatch.

Got the Dickey incubator (3 levels with a hatching tray underneath that I'll probably never actually use as a hatcher, lol) and the 5 tray hatcher all cleaned up and tetrised into the basement. I'm pretty pleased with the handiwork, will snap some shots tomorrow (er...later today), I'm pooped. They really cleaned up better than I expected. The "staining" on the sides inside cleaned right up with dog shampoo (Ok, it's what I had on hand). Tomorrow a trip to replenish my disinfectant stash and then I'll spray everything down and get to work on setting them up. Giddy with excitement, there. Guess I'll bless their maiden voyage for the Easter hatch. Started collecting all eggs laid here until then. We'll see how it goes. Checked fans/lights/turners/controls on the units - aces there, so I think we're ready to roll.

Gosh, now I have pressure on me to get some big brooders and growout pens built this spring. Who wants to come help? *crickets*

 

[jvls1942]

take off for a couple of hours and come back to over 50 posts.. I got them all read,, now my eyes are tired..

do you know how to set up the Dickie ? they are almost identical to my GQF's. I can help you if you need it ..

what I like about them, is that once you get them set, they pretty much stay set..

do yours have the holes in the back with covers for them? they are for humidity..

set the back up therm with the humidity as low as you can get it to go.. should be about 30%. then set it to 101 F.. there are a couple of reasons to do it this way

.....jimgoingtomixuparootbeerandthenhitthehay......

 

[Hurley]

I have never set one of those up, no.

I just printed off the instructions from Dickey, but welcome all tips to success. That's my project for tomorrow once I have them sprayed down and ready to roll.

Yes, I've heard that once you get them just right, they're minimal maintenance. Looking forward to that.

 

[jvls1942]

OK, first thing to do is turn both thermostats up so that you can raise the temp above 101 F and cook all the moisture out of it.. then leave the electrical therm on high and set the backup to 101 F..

after you have it stabilized, set the primary thermostat to 99.5 F..

then after the bator is stable at 99.5 F.. add the humidity.. your temp might drop after the humidity is added.. that's OK,,

now you focus on the humidity.. adjust it with the holes in the back of the bator.. when you get it to about 40 % to 45 %, check your temp.. If it is lower than 99.5 F raise it ever so slightly.. gradually bring it up to 99.5 F It is easier to raise the temperature than it is to lower it..

then check your humidity again..

do not attempt to adjust the temperature and the humidity at the same time.. it is frustrating, to say the least..

this whole procedure should take less than an hour..

do not open the door while you are adjusting the incubator..

If you have any trouble, PM me.. I will give you my phone number and we can discuss it...

DO NOT ever touch the back-up thermostat again.. EVER !! unless you are going to go through the whole procedure listed above..

If your bator ever should run out of humidity,, the temp will rise.. but it cannot go above the 101 F setting.. thus preventing temp spikes that you read about all over here in BYC..


for the styrofoam type bators.. the procedure is the same.. except there is no back up stat.. set them up DRY to no more than 101 F and then add water.. if the temp does not come down to 99.5 F you can adjust it down,, but NEVER adjust it upwards.. that will over ride your fail safe setting and allow the temp to spike..

........jimheadingtobednow...........

 

[Bigfamily4me]

Jim you would talk on the phone?! But you're so soft spoken in real life! Can't I have your number? **crickets**
(you're afraid I WOULD call...)

 

[Hurley]

OK, first thing to do is turn both thermostats up so that you can raise the temp above 101 F and cook all the moisture out of it.. then leave the electrical therm on high and set the backup to 101 F..

after you have it stabilized, set the primary thermostat to 99.5 F..

then after the bator is stable at 99.5 F.. add the humidity.. your temp might drop after the humidity is added.. that's OK,,

now you focus on the humidity.. adjust it with the holes in the back of the bator.. when you get it to about 40 % to 45 %, check your temp.. If it is lower than 99.5 F raise it ever so slightly.. gradually bring it up to 99.5 F It is easier to raise the temperature than it is to lower it..

then check your humidity again..

do not attempt to adjust the temperature and the humidity at the same time.. it is frustrating, to say the least..

this whole procedure should take less than an hour..

do not open the door while you are adjusting the incubator..

If you have any trouble, PM me.. I will give you my phone number and we can discuss it...

DO NOT ever touch the back-up thermostat again.. EVER !! unless you are going to go through the whole procedure listed above..

If your bator ever should run out of humidity,, the temp will rise.. but it cannot go above the 101 F setting.. thus preventing temp spikes that you read about all over here in BYC..


for the styrofoam type bators.. the procedure is the same.. except there is no back up stat.. set them up DRY to no more than 101 F and then add water.. if the temp does not come down to 99.5 F you can adjust it down,, but NEVER adjust it upwards.. that will over ride your fail safe setting and allow the temp to spike..

........jimheadingtobednow...........

Excellent, saved and printed. My project for tomorrow.

 

[JustJohn]

Excellent, saved and printed.

Me too.

Thanks Jim

 

[JustJohn]

craigslist ad for Doms anyone?

http://janesville.craigslist.org/grd/3644337877.html




This guy Is getting out of the chicken business(he may have had some reputation issues)

http://janesville.craigslist.org/grd/3645426779.html