A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

[Chic Rustler]

or humidistat

 

[CrealCritter]

Can you talk to me a little bit about how you turned the eggs?

 

[Chic Rustler]

I turned them by hand twice a day. Used sponges and a spray bottle to adjust humidity. Real low tech stuff. You can take it as far as you want but I just wanted an incubator that worked.

If you want to build a Mercedes I would loom long and hard at the gqf cabinet baters. They have a bad ass turning system, humidity management, the whole nine yards. And you can buy all the parts to from them to build it if you want. But either way I would copy them as much as possible

 

[Chic Rustler]

Oh yeah. Take a look at the turners for Styrofoam incubators. You can get them anywhere. Lots of people build their trays to to hold the LG turners and then just pull the turners out at lockdown. It's easiest, but not cheapest. If I was gonna do an autoturner that's the route I would take

 

[Chic Rustler]

Who says you cant hatch chicks in the fall? These guys are eating me out of house and home tho. They eat twice as much as the grown flock and it's the pricy high protein meat bird stuff too. Lol

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Butcher the roo's young for pseudo Cornish Game "hens"?

 

[Chic Rustler]

how young? They are putting on weight very well. I was going to let them get good sized

 

[baymule]

I butcher mine at about 5-6 months. Young roos eat a LOT.

 

[Chic Rustler]

I did a hen today. She was a rir, 6 or 7 months old. She had been limping for a week and I found a tiny rib like bone was broken around her rear leg upon slaughter.

She is a beautiful little bird. But just a little bigger than a Cornish game hen from the store. Maybe 3 lb carcus? Maybe!


Still got a few old hens that need the hatchet too but I didn't have time today. Maybe next weekend.

 

[CrealCritter]

I've got about a dozen BO roos I still need to butcher. I thinned you the layers a few weeks ago had planned to do the roos then but rain set in.