Category Archives: Chickens

Incubating eggs update update

Posted on May 10, 2017 by james

Having measured the incubator temperatures with a thermometer I trust, the Suro 20 reads about 0.1C higher than the thermometer. The difference for the Brinsea was closer to 0.3C (also higher), so I’ve turned up the temperature on that a … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Incubating eggs update

Posted on May 10, 2017 by james

Ok, so other things got in the way a little over the last couple of days, but we’re now four days in. I’ve just weighed the trays of eggs. Worryingly the Suro incubator is showing an RH value of 68% … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Combining projects to make “Hatchcam”

Posted on May 7, 2017 by james

I’ve been idly wondering if I couldn’t combine my egg incubation project with a camera that I use for testing oacapture to record chicks as they hatch. I have some lenses that might be suitable and some cameras that can … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Egg incubation humidity

Posted on May 7, 2017 by james

A day in, the relative humidity in my Suro 20 incubator is being reported as about 60% and it really ought to be a bit lower than that — nearer 52%. If I’ve done my research properly I reckon on … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

And they’re off!

Posted on May 7, 2017 by james

My eggs arrived safely so this Saturday I unpacked them to go into the incubators. I have one dozen each of Cream Legbar: White Leghorn: and Copper Black Marans: This is too many to fit into a single one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Hatching plans

Posted on May 1, 2017 by admin

Today I’ve ordered some eggs to put in the incubator. We didn’t raise any chicks last year and we’re down to only a few hens now, so it’s about that time again. In fact if I left it any later … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Chicks Away!

Posted on January 22, 2017 by james

Most years I put some chicken eggs into an incubator to add to our flock that provide us with eggs and meat. This year I might try to set up a “chick cam” (somehow I feel that’s not going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Leave a comment

Lay a little egg for me…

Posted on October 15, 2013 by james

Over the last four or five years we’ve taken an incubator and chicken eggs into the childrens’ school for one of the classes to have in their classroom for the whole of the incubation period and perhaps a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Leave a comment

Splitting Eggs

Posted on February 5, 2012 by james

Though it’s much warmer today we’ve had four or five days on the trot where the temperatures have barely risen above freezing, getting down to close to -10C on one occasion. One of the unexpected results of this sudden cold … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

New Life…

Posted on September 19, 2011 by james

Our chickens are kept in large fenced runs (to keep out the foxes) in the orchard with the trees providing some shade from the fierce heat of the British Summer. The birds are rotated around the pens giving them fresh … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Smallholding | Leave a comment