Above 1200 Sq/FT Harley Jim's place

[harley jim]

Larry these are young birds, I was making sure the rooster was doing his job, if you incubate eggs and they fail to hatch you need to know why, checking an egg first will eliminate one problem.


I posted these a few posts back, this was about day four, it would be hard to see blood vessels at four days but by day 10 it is very clear if they are viable or not, so at day 10 you should toss the ones that are not developing or they can explode and that isnt anything you want to smell. Your Dad is right!

Kay I need to make me a widget, it would make taking pics much easier.

 

[Boostingaz]

Larry these are young birds, I was making sure the rooster was doing his job, if you incubate eggs and they fail to hatch you need to know why, checking an egg first will eliminate one problem.


I posted these a few posts back, this was about day four, it would be hard to see blood vessels at four days but by day 10 it is very clear if they are viable or not, so at day 10 you should toss the ones that are not developing or they can explode and that isnt anything you want to smell. Your Dad is right!

Kay I need to make me a widget, it would make taking pics much easier.

We've had one explode.....holy moly!!! As soon as you mentioned it I could smell it again haha.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Larry these are young birds, I was making sure the rooster was doing his job, if you incubate eggs and they fail to hatch you need to know why, checking an egg first will eliminate one problem.


I posted these a few posts back, this was about day four, it would be hard to see blood vessels at four days but by day 10 it is very clear if they are viable or not, so at day 10 you should toss the ones that are not developing or they can explode and that isnt anything you want to smell. Your Dad is right!

Kay I need to make me a widget, it would make taking pics much easier.

It'll take some playing. In modern terms. A biggish tin can with a tin lid, Pepperidge pirouettes can, maybe a bit bigger, it wants a shiny inside, probably find it at Big Lots, light socket, switch, 800-1000 lumen led bulb, some dense black foam for a light seal. 1" hole in the can cover. 3/4 hole in the foam. Bulb in the can. Foam around the hole. Hold your eggs, at a 45, fat end to the can, up against the hole in a dim room.

 

[harley jim]

Kay that's exactly what I need.

 

[shortykorte]

Good looking Tahoe.

I need to take you up on the quarter panel off the old one.

 

[harley jim]

R or L one

 

[Michael B.]

Is there still a drive train in the Tahoe?

 

[harley jim]

Yes Micheal but I'm going to put the frame and driveline under my 64 Chevy C10.

What are you looking for and I'll keep an eye out for you.

 

[Michael B.]

I thought that might be the plan. I need a good 6.0 with an automatic transmission.

 

[harley jim]

Yea, that's the hard part to find here, the bodies dont rust so they all have 300,000 miles on them. That Tahoe has 160,000 miles on it but I have a 454 with 32,000 to put in it. I would like to find a good 700R4 w/ transfer case to put in it, then I wouldnt need a computer at all. There could be a trade there!

I could make good money hauling vehicles north where the bodies are gone by 75,000 miles, then haul engines and trans back here.

 

[harley jim]

I candled the eggs today, it took a while so I didnt get any pics, the temperature dropped fast so I'll get a pic another day.
There was one that I'm sure was a yolker, (not fertile), there are two that look like quitters, I'll keep an eye on them, the rest look good. This is day 10, eleven days to go.

 

[softailgarage]

Yea, that's the hard part to find here, the bodies dont rust so they all have 300,000 miles on them. That Tahoe has 160,000 miles on it but I have a 454 with 32,000 to put in it. I would like to find a good 700R4 w/ transfer case to put in it, then I wouldnt need a computer at all.

Normally I would suggest a 4L80E to go with a 454, but if you want something without a computer, go with a 400. If you want O/D, stick with the 700R4 plan but make sure you do the upgrades (5 pin planetarys, HD Ring gears, "Beast" shell, performance clutch packs, boost valves or HD shift kit).

 

[harley jim]

I havent looked but I think it has the 4L60E, I think that was stock for 95 Tahoe. Once I get started I may find something else. I would rather not have a computer on it so thats why I mentioned the 700R4. The 454 has the thick case 400 on it now but its 2WD. Something will pop up.
Edit; this truck will be an asphalt queen, it will never see dirt trails!

 

[softailgarage]

95 Tahoe: 4.8, 5.3, 5.7 =4L60E
6.0, 8.1, 6.5 Diesel = 4L80E
The Electronic trans started in 93. The one nice thing about 700R4/ 4L60E/4L80E all have a ton of upgrades available that will make it bulletproof. Allisons are awesome too.

 

[harley jim]

I started a second batch of eggs today,

There are 39 round eggs and three pointed eggs,

The story I have been getting from the homesteading group is that a round egg is supposed to be a hen and pointed eggs are roosters, this is kind of new, kind of old wives tale kind of stuff, but what the heck, I got to have a little fun with it.

Humidity is perfect,
temp is still climbing, the instructions say to start the unit and let it stabilize for 8hrs before placing eggs inside. Being a rebel I put them in now!
Another wives tale that seems to have some truth to it is that roosters wont hatch below 100° so I set the temperature at 99.5 in the first incubator, the eggs I have marked are not supposed to hatch, if all of these old wives know what they are cackling about!
I dont put a lot of faith in it but it's no extra work to try.

 

[xtremek]

In the end, how many chickens do you want?

 

[Boostingaz]

In the end, how many chickens do you want?

All of them

 

[harley jim]

9
Feb 3rd my chickens got sick from all this rain and damp weather, my coop was like a swamp. I had to medicate all of them and give them a shot of antibiotics so the eggs have to be tossed out for about 30 days, dont want that stuff in me!
So I started throwing them out then I remembered I had an incubator in the shop so I filled it up. Sometimes young chickens havent got the *** thing figured out and the eggs arnt fertile so I kept saving eggs, just in case!
After 10 days I candled the eggs and all but 3 look good and are growing, by now I had another 60 eggs collected, I couldn't just throw them out so I borrowed another incubator from my buddy that raises quail.
I'm going to sell three pairs of my chickens to get rid of the three extra roosters I have. That will leave me nine grown birds.
My neighbors Josh and Haley want some chicks so I'll give them however many they want, Neil, the guy that runs the slaughter house over in greasy creek said he wanted some chicks, so I'll give him what he wants, the rest I will sell at Beatys Hardware store.

 

[harley jim]

Well, I had to go get my right knee scoped today, had to drive to Chattanooga in a rainstorm, the radio cut to the weatherman and they were tracking possible tornadic activity all around us, but we made it. Got my surgery completed and drove home, only to arrive home to no power, no cooking since were all electric, too seasick from the anesthesia, and the weather still isnt the best to go get something to eat. Had a cold cut sandwich and tried to sleep it off, that didnt work either!
Guess I'll gather up the 80 eggs in the incubators tomorrow and toss them in the dumpster, there shot I'm sure.
I cant figure out why all of the lights are on on all of the other homes and businesses, except our road! Again! Going to ask them that at there next bord meeting.
I'll be back when I'm in a better mood, night everyone.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Well, I had to go get my right knee scoped today, had to drive to Chattanooga in a rainstorm, the radio cut to the weatherman and they were tracking possible tornadic activity all around us, but we made it. Got my surgery completed and drove home, only to arrive home to no power, no cooking since were all electric, too seasick from the anesthesia, and the weather still isnt the best to go get something to eat. Had a cold cut sandwich and tried to sleep it off, that didnt work either!
Guess I'll gather up the 80 eggs in the incubators tomorrow and toss them in the dumpster, there shot I'm sure.
I cant figure out why all of the lights are on on all of the other homes and businesses, except our road! Again! Going to ask them that at there next bord meeting.
I'll be back when I'm in a better mood, night everyone.

If the eggs were only unheated for a few hours, then they might be just fine. Chickens leave them alone that long, and they still hatch. And yours were in those nice insulated containers.

 

[harley jim]

Kay I'm going to wait them out and not just give up but it's been 10 hours and counting.
Mother nature is a fickle broad so ya never know.
I'm just more mad than anything right now, and I know better.

 

[harley jim]

Glad it isnt 40 below outside!

 

[kaymccampbell]

Kay I'm going to wait them out and not just give up but it's been 10 hours and counting.
Mother nature is a fickle broad so ya never know.
I'm just more mad than anything right now, and I know better.

Oh. Dear. Well.
IME:
8-10 hours, you'll lose a few.
12 hours, about half, if you're lucky.
15 hours, dump the batch, they'll all be weak n die anyway.
If you covered the incubators with blankets, you can sometimes add 3 hours to the numbers, but only if you covered them as soon as the power dropped.

 

[harley jim]

Creeping up on 12 hrs now. They were 4.5 hrs gone when I got home.
I just tried to salvage the eggs from when I vaccinated the chickens. The eggs there laying now are clear to eat, so I'll fill the fridge up and collect another 42 for the incubator and try again.
Cant sleep and my cpap ain't cpaping,

 

[xtremek]

I hope you have power this morning. Bummer about the eggs. Without the Cpap, were you able to get any sleep?

 

[kaymccampbell]

I hate to say it, but it's for the best. What chicks you got from that batch would have had a high mortality rate.

I remember one year, at my grandparents' farm, the wind pulled down the power line to the barn, and we didn't know cause there was a blizzard. Next day, I dumped buckets n buckets of dead eggs and chicks onto the heap, then covered them up with chiknshit. Sad day.

We worked in the barn with lanterns until spring. Then I helped Grandpa dig a trench to the barn, for a new power line. The house got 100 amp 220v service, and the barn got 50. Quite an upgrade from the old 30 amp 120v for the whole farm.

Since we then had power to spare, Grandma got a washing machine and electric stove, there were electric lights in the greenhouse and tractor shed. And, we buried a bunch of thermometer cables with the power line, so Grandpa could check the barn, greenhouse, incubator and brooder temps from the house.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Sorry to hear this…..seems you have multiple “stuff” going on. How is the knee feeling? Hope it’s not too bad..

 

[harley jim]

Well, its 11:20 am and the power is still off, they claim 20,000 are still out, everyone around us has power, I had Pat drive me down the road and the overload on our line is open, there are seven houses on that line. We are always the last one on.
While we were out I had Pat take us to lowes, we bought a generac portable generator.

We have the two fridges and the freezer hooked up now.
The generator has a 220v plug so I'm going to make up a cord later so I can plug the well in, were down to 10 psi!

Right now I'm icing my knee, it didnt come out as pain free as the first one but its tolerable. I took one oxycodone at 11:00 last night and one at 7:00 this morning, normally I take three hydrocodone per day so I'm guessing it's a trade off, I'm off the hydros for now til this Doc is done with me.

Kirk, not much, two of the neighbors left since they had no power and they put all of there dogs outside, about 9 total and they ALL barked ALL night.
Kay, I agree, I dont need to down breed my stock, I have 11 hens laying now so Im getting almost 11 eggs per day, it wont take long. I'm going to crack a couple to check development, I was 15 days in on the first batch and about 5 in, on the second batch, should be interesting to see there progress.
Mr. Zippy, glad to hear from you, it's been a while, the knee is rougher than the first one but not bad. It will give me a chance to tell people no, lol. I'm really thinking about just going back on my regular meds and I'll feel like myself, these oxies make me feel fuzzy!
Thanks everyone for thinking about me.

 

[Jayman17]

Jim, sorry to hear about the power outage and loss of the eggs. Hoping for a speedy recovery for your knee too.

 

[harley jim]

Thanks Jay, I'll have enough eggs to start over in a few days, I'm getting about 8 per day right now.
The knee will be just fine.
Still no power!

 

[scooterbum46]

Jim - sorry about the chicks.
I bought a new generator from Farm and Home last fall to replace a 40+ year old Generac 5KW. This one's got all the bells and whistles but doubt if it'll last as long as the old one (it still works, small gas tank and noisyTecumseh engine). Hoping you get the power back before you have to change the break in oil..

 

[harley jim]

Thanks scooter, the power came back on about 6:15 then went off again about 6:45 right after I got all of the cords rolled up! Then about 7:30 it came back, about 30 hours total so far so good.
I like generac so I'm hoping for the best from this one, it ran two full size fridges a super size upright deep freeze and the well all day, it bumped the throttle when something came on but settled down quick. Didnt burn a full tank of gas, so far so good.
I'm upset about the birds also, I had promised them to some of my friends, I guess I had my chicken counted before they hatched!
I lost 80 eggs but it wont take long to restock.
Tomorrow is a new day!

 

[xtremek]

I thought I remembered a whole house generator under the car port. Or was that an AC unit? Or has my mind gone even more?

 

[kaymccampbell]

I like generac so I'm hoping for the best from this one, it ran two full size fridges a super size upright deep freeze and the well all day, it bumped the throttle when something came on but settled down quick. Didnt burn a full tank of gas, so far so good.

Were all the appliances hooked up at once? Did you just hot wire it right into the panel? Something else?

 

[harley jim]

Kirk you are correct, I ran the conduits and gas line underground where I wanted it to set but the man from the propane company told me the tank had to be 10' from any ignition source, so I have to dig them up and move everything, they are in the original trench 24" down! Dalton said he would come over and help when I'm ready. It should have been done a long time ago, but!

Kay fridges and freezer were on extension cords, I bought a roll of 12/2 and a plug to fit the generator and tapped the well at the breaker box. They were all plugged in at the same time.

 

[harley jim]

Cleaned out the incubators today, I checked a few of them and they were more developed than they appeared to be when I candled them.
I'll attach thumbnails if you would like to look otherwise scroll on by people!

This was the second batch only about four days. The first batch were at 14 days and had feathers.

 

[Boostingaz]

Sorry you lost all those chicks Jim

 

[loganb]

Great to hear you got power back, but also sorry on the loss of the birds. Just a couple of week setback and you'll have chics again! Gives you more time for the knee to heal up before you overwork it!

 

[don long]

Jim
Ann has a light that she sets the egg on and it shines through the shell to show the progress of the chick
She got it from tractor supply.
Lights out is a big PITA. I'm hooked up to a construction generator for the house and a huge generator that is on a trailer from a grocery store (it was a back up unit ) for the party garage and I use it when ever I have an event here. It is cheaper to run even with $6.00 per gallon diesel than our electricity

 

[harley jim]

Thanks AZ and Logan, I'm already collecting eggs, pat went to the grocery store last week and found 18 eggs for three dollars so she bought three cartons, that will give me time to collect new stock!

Don I am going to go to tractor supply and look for that.
This time I tapped a toilet paper tube to my flex light, redneck engineering!
I was having knee surgery during the storm, it kind of limited what got saved and what didnt. But I'm better prepared for the next time even tho that wasnt the plan, lol.

It's a new day!