Sunday 1 June 2008

If you build it.....

......they will hatch.

The Internet is a wonderful place. It's full of all kinds of information. So when DH got it into his head to build an incubator, he went straight for the triple W. And much to his own surprise, it worked. On Friday night I was at the computer and heard a chirping.


This is the little guy starting to escape.



Using a few purchased items and some things we had around the house, this is what he built. While I'm not surprised that something he built worked, I am surprised that something this simple worked.

  1. a cheap Styrofoam cooler $3
  2. a candy thermometer $3
  3. the plastic from a picture frame $1
  4. a dimmer switch $6.49
  5. fan (already had)
  6. light bulb and socket (already had)
  7. container for water (already had)
You've got to like a DH with an unusual stash of gadgets.



This is chicken #1, we've had two more hatch since. The eggs were added at regular intervals so hopefully there will be more throughout the week. Cross your fingers because hopefully by next week end we should see a couple of ducklings emerge from their shell.

These little ones are almost 24 hours old and with any luck will go to replace my aging hens.

****Lesson on chickens****

Chickens will slow down on the egg production, due to age, and eventually stop laying eggs. While I like my chickens and treat them very well, there comes a point where you've got to let go and cull the flock. We're passed the sentimentality of feeding chickens that don't do anything. It's kind of like forced retirement for the baby boomers and hiring a batch of college graduates.




Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic

3 comments:

Georgie said...

Nice work! And cute chicks - here's hoping there's more girls than boys so you dont have to worry about *ahem* disposing of those as well as the free-loading baby boomers.

Nancy said...

Hey, that is awesome. They are sooo cute. What a good idea to make that on your own.
Nancy

Lisa said...

Awww...chicks are so darn cute! What a great incubator too - totally clever.

Hey..when I stop producing eggs, can I retire too? Maybe not "forced" in the way you mean though...