This Sustainable House

Posts Tagged ‘Eggs’

As some of you are aware, my last incubation attempt was a total failure! Unfortunately my incubator’s thermostat, a still-air foam model (which will remain brand-less), failed causing an unacceptable temperature spike. This spike killed the majority of the developing embryos resulting in a hatch of only 6 chicks (from 28 fertile eggs). This is an appalling hatch rate.

So I have decided to build my own cabinet style incubator, complete with digital thermostat. This ‘model’ will be capable of setting up to 132 eggs at a time (in the auto-turners) or 44 eggs at weekly intervals. It will also have a dedicated hatching tray, to facilitate cleaning, and the ability to use it during winter to whip up the odd brew…

I’m achieving all of this by using an old fridge, no longer in working order, as my cabinet. This has the benefit of being incredibly well insulated and easy to clean.

I’m adding to this a fan, a heat source, and my egg turners.

At this stage the prototype is undergoing initial trials with different heat sources and this clearly demonstrates the potential efficiency of the unit. Below is a picture of the measurement apparatus. You can see that the temperature inside the unit is a cosy 35.7 degrees celcius and is exceedingly even (hatching tray is located on the bottom of the unit, egg trays half way up). Of course, the current temperature isn’t quite high enough to incubate eggs but that temperature has been reached with only 48 watts of power (considering both the fan AND the heat). I’m guessing that a total of 60 watts of power will be necessary to run the unit, equating to a cost of ~$0.36 per day to run… Not bad when you consider it could have 132 eggs in it at the time.

Anyhow, this is just an initial post and I’ll return to this project in a week or two when it is fully operational to show you the ‘finished’ product.

Just a few hours, if that, old...

Approx 21 days ago I placed some 40 chicken eggs into the incubator comprising 22 pure breed eggs that I purchased, and another 18 eggs collected from my own hens. Unfortunately, during the incubation process, candling revealed the purchased eggs to be of a very poor quality and 12 of the eggs were subsequently discarded as totally infertile. However the eggs from my hens proved to be more fertile, with only 2 eggs having to be discarded during this process.

As you might know, chicken eggs have an incubation period of 21 days so this evening I returned home to the comforting sound of the peeping of chicks coming from the office. Both Kailash and Tara seem bewildered, not quite sure what to make of the sound, and definitely unwilling to leave the door. They are ragdoll cats.

So please welcome the first 5 chicks hatched at TSH… hopefully only the first 5 of some 26 but time will tell.

Update – Well ultimately 15 chicks made it through the hatching process with almost all of the chicks from my girls making it through. Unfortunately, of the bought eggs only 2 hatched, and one of those died soon afterwards. Poor little thing…

The incubator is fired up again though, this time with Guinea Fowl and, hopefully soon, some Araucana’s and Welsummers.

Chicks in Brooder - About 1 week old

In 2003 Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farms, wrote an article of the above name. The article was written for Acres USA and can be found here. As much as I dislike ‘stealing’ his title (or is that research under the western academic system?) I have to admit that I haven’t yet come up with a title that sums this topic up more appropriately. My apologies Joel.

The point of this post is the raft of beaurucratically inspired idiocy that seems to pervade the ‘lucky country’. This is all the legislation, guidelines, audits, notifications, regulations, inspections, disallowable instruments, and general silliness by which the paternal state ‘protects’ our food supply. But who is this really protecting? The Consumer? Or vested interests in the industry? I am beginning to think it is the latter rather than the former. Read the rest of this entry »

One a recent post I mentioned that I have just reintroduced chickens into the permanent run. These were hybrid girls, and I was looking for a handsome Rooster to join them. Well the ‘prayers’ were answered…

Today I picked up a pair of very handsome Australorp roosters from a local breeder. It was pure luck, or not depending on your beliefs, that I found a breeder literally around the corner with a few ‘boys’ available.

I collected two boys and they are now living with their little ‘harem’ in the permanent run.

Picture of one of the boys and his girls

Do you purchase Free Range Eggs?

Why do you buy them? Is it because they;Free range chickens merrily picking their way over lush green grassy slopes

* taste better?

* are more nutritious?

* have a better ‘energy’?

* the chickens are more humanely housed?

All the above are reasons that many people shell out the additional sheckles for Free Range eggs but the sad truth is that there is little protection for consumers. This article, on the Green Phoenix Permaculture website, looks at the ‘definitions’ of Free Range Eggs, focussing on the housing requirements within the standards, and considers the question “Can bought eggs ever be considered Free Range?”

Check out the article here.