YO GEORGIANS! :)

[Flowerbh]

Alright so I have decided to keep my easter egg rooster. So now I have a decision to make. What incubator should i get / build. It looks like broody hens are a real gamble so I would rather some consistency. I am really into the whole automated chicken raising so an incubator that I can check once a day or so would be good.

I have a Hovabator Genesis 1588 (not sure if that number is right) and really like it. It is Styrofoam but I have been getting 80 -90% hatch rates from it. I do have three separate thermometers/hygrometers because I don't think the one that is built in is the best. It measures the temp at the top of the bator instead of at egg level. You may want to ask at the Incubators Anonymous thread. That is all that thread is about.....incubating eggs. Why don't you get this incubator and hatch ALL our eggs, too! LOL

 

[Lavmoon]

I'm so glad to hear that other people have that issue with their dogs too! Mine took it one step further when they were smaller and tried to cleaned their bottoms like they were her pups. Now she barks at them through the gate to get in when it starts to rain. If I leave my dropping bucket outside the gate instead of making it to the compost pile with it the dogs will all dig in like I left treats... EWE!

 

[ChickDancer]

I have a Hovabator Genesis 1588 (not sure if that number is right) and really like it. It is Styrofoam but I have been getting 80 -90% hatch rates from it. I do have three separate thermometers/hygrometers because I don't think the one that is built in is the best. It measures the temp at the top of the bator instead of at egg level. You may want to ask at the Incubators Anonymous thread. That is all that thread is about.....incubating eggs. Why don't you get this incubator and hatch ALL our eggs, too! LOL

Metzer farms is selling some! Lookie HERE!

It's only $4,000 for the more "modern" one! Come on, let's get one! LOL!

 

[ChickDancer]

I'm so glad to hear that other people have that issue with their dogs too! Mine took it one step further when they were smaller and tried to cleaned their bottoms like they were her pups. Now she barks at them through the gate to get in when it starts to rain. If I leave my dropping bucket outside the gate instead of making it to the compost pile with it the dogs will all dig in like I left treats... EWE!

We had a bassett hound for a little while that didn't care about the chickens. But he'd sniff their poop... then put one shoulder on the ground and push himself forward to cover himself in it. He didn't actually roll in it. He just wanted to cover his shoulders or something, like it was a fashion statement. THANKFULLY, being a bassett hound, it got all over his huge ears instead, which were very easy to clean. But it didn't smell any better when he did it!

 

[ChickDancer]

All three turkey poults finally out, along with two EE's and a mixed bantam

 

[ChickDancer]

Just finished the actual "construction" portion of the first new chicken pen. Cooling back down for a moment, then going to get some photos and add the tarp on top for cover.

It's probably going to be used for the ducks and geese tonight, so the actual chickens stop getting out as we let the ducks and geese out to graze.

 

[Flowerbh]

Ugh, got renters coming tomorrow, so cleaning house. Feels like I go one step forward and two steps back. Vacuuming floor and notice all the spills on them....gotta get the carpet cleaner out. Just put clean sheets on MY bed and go into my room to find our old dog peed on the bed! so...more laundry to redo the sheets, pad and spread! Go to open windows in the house and notice they really really need cleaning/////again because all the kids apparently love to put their finger prints all over the pic picture windows!! Last renters apparently broke the door handle so that needs to be fixed. The hot tub has been drained, but we need to level it again before we fill it back up. The whole front of the house needs the windows cleaned on the outside as we have birds who love to poop as they fly over the roof and leave splat marks all over the windows! and did I mention that they are three rows high? This house is 7000 sq feet and I am 62 and I have to do the whole thing myself! Floors, windows, sheets, bathrooms, towels, kitchen, everything! Plus, take care of all the chickens and dogs! Well, that part is fun, but it still takes time>

Well, now that I got that out of my system, I have to go back to cleaning. Thanks for the ears.

 

[Prinette]

As soon as I got my guys out to the pool it started thundering. :l This is crap. They finally all got in the dang thing ( I have to put them in there, they refuse to use the ladder/board/ramp thing) and they were all bobbing around and diving then immediately got out. I never realized how much ducks feel the overwhelming need to preen after bathing; by the time they were up I had basically received a bath myself.

 

[ChickDancer]

Well, my fingers now hurt from pulling SO MANY zip-ties, but the first pen is completely done. We're going to decide where to put it, move food and water in there along with some shelter, and put the ducks and geese in there tonight. And here are the promised photos:





This was the completed pen, just prior to putting the tarp on it. The only thing it is missing (which we'll red-neck it somehow for now) is a latch for the door/gate.



This is a close up of the corner of the pen, corner of the gate, and the top "hinge" on the gate. The zip tie actually kept the hinges of the gate from sliding down, so I merely used the PVC cement to glue it in place.



This is a close up of the gate, so you can see how I built it. I think the hardest part aside from the heat, and pulling all those zip-ties, was figuring out the measurements for the pipes above and below the gate, and the measurements of the gate itself - with NO plans or blueprint to work from. I literally had to eyeball this part, and make guesses based on how much extra length the elbows, corners, and tees would add. The top and bottom parts of the pen itself (connected to the tee) are 18 inches, and the top and bottom poles of the gate itself are 15 inches.



A close-up of the bottom hinge after the gate was installed.




This is what the hinge looks like on the side OPPOSITE the actual gate. These two holes were just drilled to give the drill bit access to where it will actually be attached to the gate with a screw.




This is the secret to the hinges. It's just a normal coupling for a 1-inch pipe, sanded out with a dremel. This got rid of the "ridge" in the middle where pipes would normally meet, and loosened it up on the pipe enough to swing freely. The hard part here, was getting the screws to go deep enough, once attached to the gate, to keep the screws from interfering with the free-movement of the hinge.




The entire gate assembled, attached, and open. It does touch the frame a SLIGHT bit in the lower left, but otherwise swings freely.



This is what the pen looks like now, with the tarp on it as well. A small slit has been placed in the very center to let rainwater drain back out. If I have nest boxes against the edges, the rain will still be far enough away from them not to cause harm. But since the weight of rain is detrimental to this lightweight construction design, I had to give it a way to drain off of the tarp. I DID think about actually making an auto-waterer out of it, but decided I would try that on a future pen. The tarp is most likely the only thing that will ever really need to be replaced on these.



The tarp didn't come in 10x10. Only 12x10 or bigger. So I have a two-foot overlap coming down the back side, which will kinda help protect wooden structures inside - such as nest boxes and roosting bars.





Another view of the tarp overlap.




This is a complete project, but there ARE finishing touches I plan to put on it. Since I have both a dremel and a soldering gun available to me, I plan to cut all excess length from the zip ties and either sand them down or melt them down to get rid of sharp edges. I also plan to do the same with any exposed metal edge where I cut the welded wire to fit. But for now, it's fully functional. All sharp edges are on the OUTSIDE of the pen anyway, so anything placed inside of the pen won't get hurt. As more paychecks come through, I'll buy more pipe, and fix up more pens. I have everything needed for another pen right now except the actual 10-foot pipes. Pens 3 through 5 will need corner elbows as well. And beyond 5 I will need all of that plus the welded wire and probably more zip ties. But I have all pipe Tees and normal 90-degree elbows for ten full pens, like I wanted from the beginning.


Next set of projects aside from this: Shelters and/or roost bars, and nest boxes.

 

[Rocky Rhodes]

Alright so I have decided to keep my easter egg rooster. So now I have a decision to make. What incubator should i get / build. It looks like broody hens are a real gamble so I would rather some consistency. I am really into the whole automated chicken raising so an incubator that I can check once a day or so would be good.

I have pretty good luck with a Little Giant incubator with a Little Giant egg turner, I also added a computer fan to prevent hot or cold spots. If you incubate in a room where the room temps stay constant, this is a great incubator for the price. I have around $100.00 invested. I bought a second Little Giant still air incubator that I use as a hatching box, this is a must if you have eggs that are set on different dates. If you want total automation and can afford one, Brinsea has several models that I spend a lot of time drooling over.