I think I need to separate my hatcher

[mollybuck]

into 2 sections. i have 15 shipped BLRW and 17 of my own in the bator right now. I want to be able to separate them during the hatch so I can band mine from the others. Im not really certain the best way to do that.

I was thinking, since there is hardware cloth on the bottom.. that I could make a divider out of that. But how? I dont want anything that will hurt the babes, and nothing to get in the way or knocked over...

I have time.. since lockdown isnt until the 18th!

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me, the most foolproof method is to form a basket out of hardware cloth and just set that over one set of eggs when you go into lockdown if that will work in your hatcher. If you have a flat floor, it should. Some people use little plastic mesh baskets for that, but one large heavy basket just seems simpler, and simpler is usually less prone to mistakes and accidents.

You could possibly fashion a fence to try to keep them separated, but that is more complicated and subject to getting knocked down. Still, if the basket idea doesn’t work, it may be a solution.

 

[Odelia]

Do you have a photo of the basket you made? I was also wondering how to do this. Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

No, no photos. I don't even have the basket anymore. With hardware cloth it's not hard once you figure out the procedure.

Measure out how big you want it to be looking at it from the top. Probably close to half the size of your hatcher, just a bit smaller. The measure how high your sides need to be so you can still close the hatcher lid. Make this just a tad smaller too.

Then cut your hardware cloth into a rectangle. The length will be however long you want it to be plus twice the height. Your width will be however wide you want it to be plus twice the height. Just to get numbers to work with, let’s say you want it to be 12” x 10” with 3” high sides. You would need a rectangle of hardware cloth 18” x 16”. 12” plus twice the 3” height gives you 18”.

Now the hard part, telling you where to cut so it makes sense. Measure over 3” from a corner and make a straight cut up 3”. Do this on each corner. It does not matter if you measure left from a corner or right from a corner. That may not make sense but at each corner just make one 3” cut up 3” from the side.

Now, bend each edge of that hardware cloth 3” from the end to form the sides of the basket. You should now have a basket 12” x 10” with four sides each three inches tall. You will also have a square of hardware cloth 3” x 3” at each corner sticking out. Bend that around the corner to make a tight corner. You can clamp or tie that if you wish, but you don’t need to. Hardware cloth holds its shape really well if you bend it like this.

You might want to practice on a piece of paper first if you’re not clear on how to do this. You will have to tape those corners together. Obviously you will need to use your dimensions, not mine. I don’t know the size of your hatcher.

And be careful. Those wires are sharp when you cut them. You are quite likely to end up with a little blood on your fingers if you are not careful. Maybe even if you are careful. Those are sharp.

The sharp ends should not harm the chicks if you get a reasonably tight corner, which you should be able to do. If you wish, you can use a piece of duct tape on the inside and outside of the basket to cover the sharp points. The two pieces of tape with the sharp points sandwiched in between will protect you and the chicks from any danger from them.

I use wire cutters or tin snips to cut the hardwire cloth. Cutting it is the slowest hardest part. Once the cuts are done, the bending just takes a few seconds.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[mollybuck]

Makes perfect sense! I have 2 weeks before mine go into lockdown. I will make it as see if I can get a picture!