So we decided to try it at our house.  Started last Sunday night.  Set up this hovabator that John used to hatch all manner of reptiles way back when he owned a pet shop.

Since Kim had so much trouble keeping the humidity high enough we decided to reduce the interior size by filling it with planks of styrofoam.

I watched a video on YouTube about how to hatch chicken eggs and gleaned some set-up ideas.  On top of the styrofoam planks we put a tray half-filled with water, then put hardware cloth over that, and the eggs lay on the hardware cloth right above the water.  That set-up helps with the humidity and helps keep the eggs from rolling around.  I’d say we’re “killing two birds with one stone” but that just seems wrong.

I’m using the schedule function on my cell phone to remind us to turn the eggs at 6 a.m., 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.

NOW we’re chicken farmers.

The incubator is old and cruddy, but works fine.

35 assorted chicken eggs.

A couple of black t-shirts keep the daylight out.

We’ll candle the eggs tomorrow to see what’s what.

Related posts:

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2. All our chickens – a list Photos are at the end. I love chickens.  Love owning...
3. Chickens – ’tis the season We got our little Barred Rocks a couple of weeks...

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Now I have a better understanding of just what’s in that box of pudding mix!  And the flu shot!

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We live in town, really we do.  So, maybe one of y’all could explain that to the little critter that Trixie-the-Wonder-Dog found hidin’ underneath Sally Mae’s bed this morning.

Now Sally Mae’s bed is quite near our back door and we leave that door open all day long and because it’s a stupid, backwards opening door we don’t have a screen door there.  It’s just open.

I’m hopin’ that’s how the critter gained entrance.  Either that or Trixie brought it in, but we didn’t notice any excited behavior or barking until we started noticing a lot of my dog disappearing under the bed.  So, I’m guessing it just wandered in and found the nearest dark, quiet, cool hidey place.

By the way, if you don’t already have a smallish dog, I recommend you go to the pound today and get one.  Nuthin’  handier for locating pesky, intruding critters.  

And while you are out and about stop in at WalMart or HomeDepot and get some rakes.  Just sayin’.

The kids are all about the tracks it makes and researching the nocturnal habits.  I’m rather more interested in WHY ON EARTH DID THAT NASTY THING COME IN MY HOUSE?  But, oh my lands, I found a Possum Cookbook online.  Everybody altogether now, EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

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Today he found a bee down in one of his squash flowers, doin’ the job God gave him to do for our squash plants.

This cracks me up, see the green air-soft BB?

I just think it’s really cool that he cares so much about the squash.  He’s always over there checking things out.

On a very different note, my hubs is coming up on a governmentally important birthday and is getting mail about medicare supplements EVERY DAY!  I had no idea there were so many businesses out there that sell that kind of insurance.  I should have started saving all that junk mail from the beginning.  I could have opened my own piñata factory. (get it? all that paper?)  Anyroad, he got one today that was note worthy.  What you need to know about my hubs is that he is the most fit person I know in the over 35 age category.  Only he’s turning 65.  Really, very fit.  He works in a warehouse and is on his feet 40 hours every week, plus a little overtime every week.  Plus all the after work errands (and putting up with me has to be fairly stressfull.)  So, Tex and I had a big laugh when this came in the mail today.

Hubs is about the last person who needs one of those!  

On the other hand, I may need one soon if Richard Simmons doesn’t lighten up!  I keep thinkin’ it’s getting a little better while I’m doin’ it, then afterwards I wanna lay down and die, but I’m just too stubborn!

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Y’all read my friend KimC @ Life in a Shoe, right?  For those of you who don’t know, Kim and I are good friends IRL.  And part of the reason we are such good friends is that we think alike.

And today she posted about making a sourdough starter and I thought it was such a fine idea on so many levels…

• delicious sourdough bread
• no need for store-boughten yeast
• homeschool chemistry lesson on the hoof [so to speak]
• won’t it be cool to say, “Would you like to taste my sourdough bread I baked in my solar oven?”!!!
• did I mention delicious sourdough bread

…that as soon as I read most of her post and most of the starter recipe that she linked to, I jumped up and went in search of the perfect sourdough starter container.

You know, it has to be at least 2 qt., made of glass or ceramic, no metal parts, clean.  Picky, picky, picky.  But I found it and we’re off and running.  Never mind that it’s 10 p.m.  Sourdough needs started and it needs started now!

So, here’s your link to Kim’s post about it.

Here’s your link to the starter recipe.

Here’s a photo of my starter, just minutes old and you’ll notice it’s being guarded by a desert tank (I dunno, I guess ‘cuz of the cloth covering on the jar?).

And here’s a photo of my other latest project.  Ya know, if the electricity is gone you have to make your own music.  Just sayin’.

(psst!  it’s called a mountain ocarina)

(the creepy antenae looking stuff is a neck strap)

Here’s your link back to Make-Do-Monday.

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You need:

• Elmer’s glue
• Borax Powder

Here’s how:

• Fill a cup with water and add a spoonful (or more if you want) of the Borax powder and stir it up good.
• Fill another cup with about 1/2 inch of glue.
• Add three tablespoons of water to the glue and stir.
• Add two tablespoons of the Borax solution and stir well. Ewwww!  Slime!
• Lift out the spoon with the slime and place it on the dish.
• Let it sit for about 30 seconds and then pull it off the spoon and play with it!

If it doesn’t get horribly dirty you can save it in a zippy bag.   This was a ton of fun.  And it takes about 3 minutes unless you count the time you are gonna spend watching YouTube vids of kids making all kinds of slime.

• Low investment
• Minimal effort
• Huge grins on all the kids!

Cannonball had so much fun and loved the slime so much that he named his.  Bob.

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