Baby Chick Hatching in Genesis Hova Bator Incubator

Day old baby chicks hatched January 1st Happy New Year

We tried our hand at hatching eggs and it was delightful!! We didn't have the best hatch rate due to not checking the incubator temperature and humidity with an extra thermometer. But we did get 5 adorable baby chicks out of the adventure!!

I put the chicks in a cardboard box which we cut out a window opening for the kids to observe the cute balls of fluff! We trained the baby chicks not to jump out of the little opening... lol, just kidding! We covered the opening with plexiglass which we just duck taped on the reverse side. It was absolutely perfect for the kids to watch the chicks without being able to reach their hands in a touch them...constantly! I also taped a thermometer to the window so we could keep track of the temperature. This was one job that Henry (my oldest, 6 years old) was in charge of! He was responsible to make sure the temperature was at a certain point each week. He did a great job and it was very easy way to introduce temperature tracking into our homeschool discussion.

Baby Chick Feeder DIY Super Easy Works Great!

We have more baby chicks here on our little farm and they sure do eat alot! Its quite frustrating to constantly be filling their food and then realize its all out again! I love these little feeders that hook to a mason jar but I do not like that you can only fill them with 1 quart of feed at a time. They take up minimal floor space on the cage but are quite a hassle if you have a lot of birds. I kept trying to think of a way to make them easier to fill (from the outside of the cage) as well as easier to keep full! I took our metal feed tray with me to Lowes and found all the lovely parts to make it work like it does in my mind!!

Supplies: 1 feeder tray (I used the metal tray so I could bend out the inside rings so the PVC would slide right in $3.50),  1 4"x2" PVC Coupling (In the plumbing section of your hardware store - $5), 1 4" PCV Pipe (I got the 5' piece and cut it in half so I can make 2 of these feeders - $8), 1 tube of All Purpose Caulking ($2.99)

Total Cost: Under $20! I also have half of the PVC pipe left to make another feeder as well as plenty of caulking for other projects! Or you could make 2 of these (by purchasing an additional feeder tray($3.50 and an additional PVC Coupling $5) for $29.

 Start by crimping, hammering, or pinching your ring so its completely flat (this looks like its got extra crimps, but they are pushed to the opposite side so as to flatten the inside)

Now its time for the caulking. Apply it generously so you get a good firm seal

 Wipe clean any goopy extra that has smashed out. 

 Now cut your PVC pipe if you want. I wanted to cut mine so I could make 2 and I wanted them short so my kids can easily fill them. If they were 5 feet tall, they would hold alot more feed, but the kids wouldnt be able to do all the upkeep. So decide what your needs are and modify as needed!

 Get your drill bit ready and make your wholes to connect your feeder with zip ties. 

Ready for Install!!

Hook up your feeder wherever is most convenient for you to monitor and fill it...also consider what will be easiest and most efficient for the chicks to gather around and eat from it! Dont put it in a corner or the backside of the feeder will be cut off.

 Zip tie the top and bottom in place so the birds dont move it around.

They LOVE it!! They are super curious and it doesnt even have any feed poured in it yet!

Pour away!! Its perfect height for my kids to reach it and peek in to see how full it is. I used an old pot as the cap to keep out bugs. You can purchase a PVC cap, but im sure you have a tupperware or old pot you can use...save the money for feed!

 

 All gathered around and eatin away! I have our feeder right in the middle of the chicks cage. I also have the whole cage up off the ground an inch or so to help keep them nice and clean. I use cheap plastic table clothes (2 for $1) to cover the floor, makes for SUPER easy clean up! I clean it as needed. I can also lift this cage quite easily and set them outside on the ground to get some good outdoors time. This makes for super easy cleanup, just by moving them! They will only be in this cage for a few weeks. In which we will increase their outdoors time till they are ready to scratch, run, play, and defend themselves outside.

Let me know if you use this idea!! I would love to hear how it works for you and what modifications you do to make it work best for your situation.

Thanks!

"The Girls" our Backyard Chickens

Backyard chickens are by far the easiest step to backyard farming. They are relatively maintenance free and quite inexpensive too! Our girls get all of our food scraps and dig around for almost anything else they need. We do supplement with an organic layer feed we get from our local feed store. We have never had a shortage of eggs and everyone is quite healthy and happy! We raised all these ladies from little baby chicks and it has been very exciting watching them grow up to become productive members of the backyard!

And this here is "Funny Goosie". Addie LOVES her so much and will carry her around the yard showing her everything! She is an Americana and lays quite large greenish blue eggs. 

Now of course a delightful poached egg on top of toast is the perfect way to start the morning!!