Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE => Topic started by: Cindi on November 09, 2009, 09:47:44 am
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Yep, yep, the birds have been busy. I have many lovely breeds of chickens, plans of becoming one day a very small, but great breeder of chickens. I have eight breeds that I am raising, all heritage (old fashioned, tried and true).
I have a big incubator, that holds many, many eggs, self-turning, fan blowing and I also have a small table top one, made of styrofoam. I this styrofoam incubator I have 15 eggs. The breeds of these are Light Brahma and Blue Cochin. They are due to begin to hatch tomorrow. Never having used this incubator before, no clue what the hatch will be like, but I am hoping.....
I have a Blue Cochin that is sitting on 14 eggs. These eggs are Light Brahma, Blue Cochin and three Australorpe. I KNOW that all of these chicks will hatch, well, should anyways. The broody hen has a way about her. The babies (providing all eggs are fertile, and judging by the activity of the roosters, they should be 8-) :lol:), will be hatching next Tuesday. So, here we go again, little chicks coming on hard and fast, I can't wait!!! I'll post some pics when the incubator eggs begin to hatch. Beautiful days, to love and live, with health. Cindi
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Cindi, I have caught the chicken bug, big time! There's so much chicken stuff going on in my head this past two weeks, I think I may have even grown a feather or two!
I have been searching: http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/search.php?action=show_24h (http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/search.php?action=show_24h)
Are you a member there?
If not where do you chicken surf?
I have always enjoyed your posts but now since I will become a chicken person soon, I will really be looking forward to your chicken posts with earnest.
...JP
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JP, you ain`t seen nuthin`yet, I kid you not!!! You will be that chicken addicted dude, smiling. It is an interesting world. I am a member of backyard chickens, but very inactive, mostly read, I belong to another one that I like better and spend a fair amount of time there.
Things have been going bad here with chick incubating and raising, I'll tell that story.....
I had set 15 eggs into an incubator, brand name, Little Giant, that was given to us by my Husband's Cousin. Crap, is all I can say, I don't think I did anything wrong. Well, I don't think that this model of incubator is very good. We went out and invested in a digital thermometer/hygrometer, $29.99, not bad, considering a regular thermometer is around $8 or so.
I tested the temperature where the eggs are on the bottom, 96.4 degrees, put up the legs on the thermostat, and closer to the element it is 99.4 or something like that. Clearly, a massive difference in temperature. I didn't think eggs will hatch at 96.4 degrees. Turned the thermostat all the way up, not much change in temperature, guess it was already turned up nearly as close as it could. The temperature up near the element is 98.5 . No pips, nothing. This is a still egg incubator. With my sportsman, I always have about 90% hatch, sigh.
I won't be using this little giant model again. It will become a brood chamber for the next eggs that I hatch, to keep them warm after birth. And it will have other uses too, so all is not lost, smiling :yahoo:. The turning tray will also be a great place to put eggs for gathering for the next incubation. Guess we never should put all our eggs in one basket eh?
So....guess I am going to get a new "house" incubator, one that holds a fair number of eggs, one that can sit on my counter. BUT....what model, I guess that is the next thing on my studying list. I have been gathering Light Brahma eggs for the next incubation, but now that will have to go on hold for a bit. Christmas is coming, I have children, and if the price is not too high, they will all pitch in and get me a new incubator. They understand my illness, my need to raise baby chicks, smiling. And what better thing than to get something that will make their Mother a happy woman, yay!!! Thank goodness for children.....even though they are all adult and gone away, like, flew the coop, smiling. I had to laugh at my oldest gal. The other day in her daily e-mail to me, she told me I had to control my addiction (chick raising), until we move, then I can raise chicks for the rest of my life. She makes me laugh, she is so matter of fact, always a logical thinking woman. I placated her, told her OK, I'll try (sometimes I tell little white lies, oops, did I say that?). Little does she know...... :evil: ;) :) :) :), she is pitching in on that Brinsea, but she doesn't know it yet, smiling......
The Blue Cochin that was broody was off the nest Monday morning, day 19, only two more days to go, oh bother. The eggs were cold. I thought maybe they were too warm and she had to cool them off. Nope. She, by 12:00 didn't go back on. So I brought the 14 eggs (one had been pecked a hole in, an Astralorpe) so it was not any good. So 13 went into my big incubator, the sportsman. After the failure of the eggs in the styrofoam little giant one last week, wasn't going to try that incubator again. I'll use it for a hatching unit or something, pain in the butt trying to keep temperatures even, even in an evenly heated room, ich. So thanking my lucky stars that I have the big incubator. I will use that only for incubating. It is an older version. No digital command centre, but works very well. Has the thermometer that goes into the side of the cabinet, I control the humudity myself very well. With my new thermometer/hygrometer that is digital, it is even easier. It is tried and true and has hatched out many a good hatch. I wanted that little Brinsea one that holds 24, and still want it for small incubation, but will certainly more than employ the big one. Think the Brinsea runs about $320, that is nothing when you realize how much you can make with purebreed chicks. Hatching really is alot of fun. Keeping my eye open for another old sportsman cabinet style so I can use it for a hatching chamber/brooding chamber. My incubator has three racks. Each rack has three long trays that run the length of the incubator, each tray holds 22 eggs, has a hardware cloth cover over it to hold the eggs in, so each rack holds approximately 66 eggs, dependent upon the size of the egg. Good enough, well over 180 eggs per incubation, should I ever get that many eggs. Or only one rack, or only one tray can also be hatched, anything one wants to do. Think I have posted a picture of this incubator thingy before. I do so like that incubator, and thank my lucky stars that I have it. Anyways, the 13 are due to hatch on Wedsnesday afternoon, which is today, smiling. This is a combination of standard Light Brahma and Blue Cochin and 2 Australorpe. Hope I get some black cochins, so I can breed back to my hens to get all blues. When I have incubated before, it was early spring and we lost power on two different occasions, for many, many hours, the hatch still went well, go figure that. Guess MOther Nature does allow for some mistakes, smiling. Well, well, the days in the life. And do -- have that most beautiful day, with great health. Cindi
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I knew you'd surface sooner or later. What's the name of that chicken forum you frequent if you don't mind me asking?
...JP
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JP, top secret where I hang out, smiling :-X ;) :) :) :). Have that most wonderful day, to love with great health. Cindi
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Cindi, I have caught the chicken bug, big time! There's so much chicken stuff going on in my head this past two weeks, I think I may have even grown a feather or two!
I have been searching: http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/search.php?action=show_24h (http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/search.php?action=show_24h)
Are you a member there?
If not where do you chicken surf?
I have always enjoyed your posts but now since I will become a chicken person soon, I will really be looking forward to your chicken posts with earnest.
First the bees and now the chickens. Where does it end. ;) The next thing, it will look like a scene out of Green Acres.
I guess now JP you had better get started on the build project of a Chicken Tractor to move up and down the rows in your garden. I am going to build one myself. Dont forget to build a Wiz Bang Chicken Plucker also. I can see it now. No time to work on the Honey Do list. You will be to busy.
...JP
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Was going to build the coop today but was still under the weather. Went to the doctor and got a shot and more antibiotics, so maybe the coop will happen tomorrow.
...JP
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JP, you been sick a long time, do take care. Those chickens are in no hurry, you must take that time to heal yourself completely before you travel down a different venue in life. Building a coop will be a big job, and you need all the strength right now to be well. All good things take time, that old saying is true, take it easy, dear friend.
Sparky, I don't think that honeydew lists ever get done completely, one step at a time, smiling. Those chicken tractors are pretty darn cool.
backyardchickens is a really great site, mountains and valleys of information, read lots and listen to what people have to say, some very wonderful and knowledgeable people there. Beautiful days, to love and live with great health. Cindi