I'm in trouble .... :(

Just had KP on the phone, he must have been bored offshore and decided to do some online banking and discovered that since 2006 our DD to for the electricity has gone up from £55 per month to £119 a month ...... and ME, my incubator & brooder lamps are getting the blame

Looks like I'm going to have to stop, cooking (electric stove), hoovering & doing the washing, to make up for quail electricity I'm using .....

But seriously has anyone worked out how much it costs to run an incy & brooder lamp per month .... cos I don't know how to work it out ....and I need ammo for his next whingey phone call lol

Suz

Might also be due to electricity prices going thru the roof at the moment Suz.

Incubators don't use much electricity, the Rcom20 only has a 5amp fuse. So it can't use much.

Brooders on the other hand can be quite expensive to run depending on the bulb you use. I use a 250 watt bulb, but I put mine on a thermostat so that it's not on more than is necessary. Also means I don't have to raise the bulb, I just reduce the temp in the thermostat (so it's on for less).

For next year, I'm also thinking of stacking my brooders. So younger chicks are closer to the lamp. and older chicks move further, but still benefit from the heat.

p.s. calculating cost of electricity will depend on your supplier. You'll have to check your bill and get your average Kw/hour rate. E.g. 250watt bulb is 0.25Kw * avg Kw/hour * number of hours you have it on for

p.p.s. you could also stop ironing his shirts

Yep leccy prices have really jumped up. Our bills have rocketed as well. I use a 45w elec hen and 60w dull emitter to brood my chicks now. I did work it out - how much to run incy - and at the time it was something like a £5 for the 3 wks. Don't quote me tho as I'm not sure how well I worked it out.

Suz,

I posted my bills on another topic here you go.
https://coturnixcorneruk.forumotion.com/general-f3/give-up-t1231.htm

I have 2 electric meters one for the house one for the bird area, see if your electric company can do that.

Mark

i was told that for a brooder if you run a 100w bulb for a whole month on constant its costs £1.20 to run a month i used it on my dad lol he didnt want to argue after i said that but my incubator does run about £6 a month and its about 65w

Hudgellboy

shame can't get hens to naturally brood the chicks. Electric hens are a good idea Harrie. Where did you buy yours?

Wonder if I can make a few with a few electric warming cables and plastic seed trays

what do you mean electric hen is this a joke or serious lol im blonde it takes me a while to realize lol
Hudgellboy

Home farm fowls - they have a website. You use it instead of a lamp Ronnie. It's kind of like a heated platform which you set at the level of the chicks' backs and then raise it as they grow. They get under it when they are cold, just as they would a hen.

O thanks lol that sounds like a good idea, they are good sellers ive bought loadz of things from them thanks alot.
Hudgellboy

Here is a pic of an electric hen




Sam

I have read that you can put quail eggs under a broody bantam to hatch.

We were discussing this earlier in chat. A number of people have tried hatching quails with a broody hen. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a hit and miss thing. Very few people seem to have much success incubating, let alone brooding the resulting chicks.

It would be very neat if we could get consistent results

QTpie wrote:I have read that you can put quail eggs under a broody bantam to hatch.

My eldest mini silkie Grace went broody after laying her first 9 eggs, I left her 3 of her own eggs & gave her 6 Jap eggs, unfortunately I forgot when the japs were due so didn't move the silkie's nest to a secure place away from the rest of the birds .... but she successfully hatched 4 of the 6 jap eggs, although I only found one live chick which I took in side to brood with incubator hatched chicks.

I've decided to try again when the next silkie goes broodie, but I'll be moving the nest box to a secure, chick escape proof hutch.

Suz