My homeade bator!

Mel we have an Omaha steaks foam container like yours. Can't tell how you made the air vent.

Next I need to get a thermostat for the light bulb. Was that a 40 watt bulb in there? I already have a wireless digital thermometer. I use them to monitor the temperature out in the greenhouse. I don't have a computer to tear apart for a small fan. Was that crucial? What am I missing??

MollyD

Gimpy IS a little girl, and she is the one on the branch behind the rooster. She is still picked out because she is smaller than the other four. If you guys remember, she hatched out 3 days after the first group.

My bulb is a 40 watt oven light. You could probably go a little lower, but my 40 did a good job. I ended up not using the air vent after I installed the thermostat. I used it to regulate the temperature at first, but it was just too difficult, so I went with the thermostat, and closed off the air vent all together.

The fan was not crucial, and if you want a true 'still air' incubator, you don't need one at all. I just got so involved with buiding this that I probably would have added cable, and an internet connection had my dearest not stopped me! Good luck with yours. We truely enjoyed hatching eggs, and it was fabulous watching their developement in the shells.

Thanks Mel! All I need now is the thermostat and some eggs!

MollyD

Good luck! Feel free to ask any questions if they arise. I found answers to all my questions on this site. :)

I'll do that thanks! I've raised chickens before but I've never hatched a chicken egg!

MollyD

Wow, am I glad you started this thread again TF. I was going to D-mail Mel just to say hi, but this is much better. Happy to see all is well with you Mel.

I built a hoop house this spring. I started 1200 plants in Feb. and I'm now up to 2000. Veggies and FLOWERS! I never thought I'd see the day I actually would be growing flowers. I should be selling 10" pots in about 3 weeks.

So, as you can see I've been pretty busy.

JB

TF: How do you quote someone elses thread?

Thanks, JB, I was wondering the same thing. Sometimes I would like to quote my own for someone and don't know how.

GG ^_^ ♥ ^_^

wow, granny! "i know something you don't know ;-P"

JB, you are a busy bee, congrats on your success in the greenhouse!

there are these brackets to the right of the 'P'. use those and in them put quote then copy and paste what you are quoting then the brackets again, and in them put /quote that is the slash under your right pinky by the shift key...

basically the slash turns it off. other wise everything you write would end up "quoted"

tf

This message was edited Apr 13, 2008 1:54 PM

Will try again...

Finally...Thanks, TF.

^_^ ♥ ^_^

♥^_^♥

Your hearts look like earrings...LOL

♦^_^♦

So cute. I was going to build Bob a box in the coop so she could go somewhere away from all the young chickens who think she is mom, but ryan said I had to wait. He didnt want it to be chintsy. He is seriously designing a 'box' that will have heat tape and insulation. Since Bob is a tropical duck he cant live below 40 degrees, so Ryan is building a heating box just for her (him...her...I am so confused!). For now I put a large cat carrier in there on some blocks so Bob can have her own space. She should be laying another egg tonight. I could see if kinda bulging under neath a bit. ;)

Gotta love Bob!

Remember when...

He (she) really is our baby. :)

awww, so spoiled! everytime somebody asks about our catrs & chickens, i tell them about Kitty & Bob...

I used to feel awkward for doing so many things just for Bob, but now I dont care what everyone thinks. he is such a good duck, and he will snuggle up next to me on the couch to watch a movie, but when Ryan comes home he hisses as him. He knows that I am the one taking care of him, so I guess that makes me mom. And what wouldn't a mother do for their child? :)

This is my favorite picture of Bob. I took it down at the lake house when he went under the docks to hide from the dogs last summer. He LOVES going to the lake.

So Mel.......is Bob going to be in the wedding????? ;o)

of course SHE is!

Bobbi will be the one carrying the flowers! Or is that eating the flowers? Would make a very cute picture!! Hope my geese act as nicely towards me. They can chase anyone else they want to LOL

MollyD

Wouldn't it be fun to see Bob going down the aisle with flowers and two little ducklings following her???? I'd definitely want a video of that!

Awe! Never thought about Bob's own ducklings!

MollyD

It would be super cute, and since (s)he comes when we call...her....it would be even better. Do any of you remember the video I posted of him chasing me around the room when he was only a couple days old? Ohhh...I will find my link for it and post again. I asked our priest if he could be in the wedding and our priest looked as thought he wanted to kick me out of the church. He said, 'although I know Bob is like your child...the church does not condone having children out of wedlock so...' we got a good chuckle out of it.

I have another problem I need help with now! I just noticed that one my RIR chicks (2 months old now) has crooked twoes! Poor t hing didnt have them before, and now she cant even get up on the perch with the other chicks. I can post a picture when I get home from work, but not sure if anyone had any pre-ideas. I was thinking that she may be too old to try the pipe cleaner idea, but...maybe not?

OK...I took a couple anyway.

and one more. I could put t hese in a new thread...but thought I would start here.

Poor baby toes! Looks like it may be missing an
extensor tendon, or have weak muscles that attach
to that. I hope you can help it, Mom. At least it can
get around ok and eat.
That is super news about Bob's having laid an egg!
Maybe you could call her Bobette. I would like to see
a picture of her with a veil! and flowers in her beak.
Blown away you are keeping yourself together at this
busy time, with also sewing on dresses! I hope you
have a beautiful wedding, Mel.
I have to tell you why your priest doesn't favor having
Bob in the wedding: My son and DIL had their wedding
at riverside, at Camp Tejas in central Texas. We had to
post signs for miles because it was hard to find. They
wanted their dog, Durham, to be present at the wedding,
so we also put a sign stake with his name on it beside
the alter we made down by the river, and tied him to that.
Just before the wedding began, he got all antsy and whiney
and DS let him go to go swimming, thinking that would
keep him busy and out of trouble. Well, he cut his swim
short, came out of the river, stood right by Father Seth and
shook water all over him right in the middle of the service!
I have to tell you, that man was a saint! He kept right on
without a glitch, even though several members of the
wedding party and guests were laughing their butts off.
Do you still want Bob at the wedding?

Well, at least he didn't pee on him, like my old
dog Toby did on my boss at a company picnic.
He deserved it, though. I am very good at looking
shocked on the outside while laughing on the inside!
Here's good Durham doing what he loves to do for
hours on end- watch chicks.

Loved those stories!! Durham can't figure out what those little dogs are doing!

Too funny. I dont know if I want Bob at the wedding. I think it would be great for him to be there, but would probably cause more work then it is worth. Since we are getting married inside a Catholic church I dont think there is any way they would allow it. Back to work now. I have a horse that has been loosing weight like crazy, so I need to take the 4-wheeler out to the field and wait for her to do her business so I can check it. Fun times it is having a farm!

well, we did our engagement photo with our chicken pen in the background, and me holding my Favorite Leghorn, sorta gothic style. glad we did, since none of our actual wedding photos turned out... no wevery year we take fmaily photos outside with animals. last year it was the baby goats, and we all had guns LOL

so, you could do a picture at your farm with Bobbie... you will treasure it, and no complaints formthe priest or guests!

tf

That is true. Our photographer came out to our farm to do our engagement pictures, but our baby horse had not yet been born, and the other horses were all covered in mud. I said I wanted to come here after the wedding and do pictures with the animals, but it is a ways away from where the wedding and reception are.

Ok...I got another 40 trees planted! YEAH! I think I have about 40 more to go, but I am waiting for my darling to get home and help! They all have to be planted tonight because the rain is a coming! I think tomorrow I am going to spend the day working on the wedding programs, finishing the dresses, and figuring out what else I still need to do.

I guess it is back to work again. :) I sure love having my own business so I have time to do all these fun farming things!

amen to that...

;-)
tf

Mel, my Rocky has the same thing only on one foot, though. It hasn't hurt him getting around and roosting, so I don't know why your RIR hen is having trouble. I also noticed just recently that one of my Aussie hens has the same problem. Don't know what causes it.

We had an EE who's feet were so bad, we wondered how she could walk on them, but she did just fine, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Her toes actually curled so much her feet were rounded. She was also able to get up on the perch and walk and run okay. They learn to compensate for the crookedness in their toes. At least that is what I have found out.

Well maybe it is not that the hen is having trouble at all...but moreso that the other chicks are segregating her because of her 'disability' those mean girls! Hahaha...

my silkies have bent toes but they manage but silkies arent realy the perch tipe so that wouldnt matter to them i also had a silkie who had a twisted leg but it was to late to fix but i tried the vet and they strapped it up and i had to go back every week and at the end they had to put it down it all cost $200 my mum said had she known she would hav rung its neck but i couldnt do that

Aw, Lucky. I'm glad you had the vet to do it for
you that time. Maybe it was a bit easier than watching
your mum take care of it.
Well, Mel, keep on those trees! You are almost there.
We are getting some rain tonight, and maybe some
storms. I have a lot of seedlings newly transplanted
this week, so maybe they will not get battered, and
benefit. I can't wait to see wedding pictures, and I
would love to see an updated wedding dress picture
if you are not tired of trying it on.
I am a lucky girl if I need to check horse poop. Sophie
goes in her litter boxes she has scattered around the
property. She is so prissy, she won't even touch the
grass that grows near her poop pile.

she was looking after them when i went up the cost for hloidays and she told me one of them was acting funny when i got back

bumping this up!

thanks. i wish we could condense it and sticky it

i suppose you could ask admin? we have never had a sticky in here...