ELeVan ~ Honaker Farm Journal

[elevan]

Bi-Metal Egg Incubator Thermostat Kit - Mechanical from Amazon.

How hard was it to install? I have looked at that before. Let me know if it holds temp regular. If so, i will order it.

It was super easy to install. It's been holding steady at 100* for a couple of hours now.

I just need to get my humidity up and I'll be ready to get started

 

[bonbean01]

Are these going to be your first hatch? Be careful...hatching and brooding those little ones is highly addictive!!! Can't wait until I get started into it again...next month.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Bi-Metal Egg Incubator Thermostat Kit - Mechanical from Amazon.

How hard was it to install? I have looked at that before. Let me know if it holds temp regular. If so, i will order it.

It was super easy to install. It's been holding steady at 100* for a couple of hours now.

I just need to get my humidity up and I'll be ready to get started

Alright - I bought it.

 

[elevan]

Are these going to be your first hatch? Be careful...hatching and brooding those little ones is highly addictive!!! Can't wait until I get started into it again...next month.

This is the first go round using an incubator.

We hatched 2 clutches last year with broody hens.

 

[elevan]

Put a dozen eggs into the new bator. Went with duck.

Then went out to put the chickens / guineas / ducks into the coop. After everyone was in I grabbed the 4 roos that I needed to sell off the roost and put them into a box. Then packed up a dozen hatching eggs and headed to a coworker of my mom's house. Fascinating couple. He raises racing pigeons (has a ton of them) and canaries (5 or 7 different varieties) and is just getting started with chickens. He'll be getting some duck eggs next week too.

While I was there I was offered some Iranian delicacies from his homeland. I'm not sure what they were called but they were made with chickpeas, saffron and pistachios. He found it amazing that I was familiar with saffron. They were good whatever they were called.

We chatted about his new incubator from TSC and I answered a bunch of chicken and egg questions for him. Thank goodness they were questions that I could answer!

He tried to sell me some pigeons. Now, what would I do with pigeons? I suppose we could breed and eat them...cause I'm not into racing birds.

They had a lovely home and outbuildings. I actually got lost while he was showing us around the barn / garage...it was huge! If someone had yelled "fire!" I would have perished because there was no way I would have been able to find my way out!

 

[Queen Mum]

While I was there I was offered some Iranian delicacies from his homeland. I'm not sure what they were called but they were made with chickpeas, saffron and pistachios. He found it amazing that I was familiar with saffron. They were good whatever they were called.

OH MY GOSH! I wish you had gotten the name. It sounds so yummy that I want some.

BTW, did you know that Saffron is an alternative crop to opium poppies? So the more saffron that people buy, the more Opium dealers we put out of business in the middle east!

 

[elevan]

They also told us that next Tuesday they will be having a celebration. 200 guests will come to their house for it. There was a little communication error when he told us that they build a fire and then "jump into it". His daughter laughed and said "No, not in to the fire! Over the fire!". I just kept my mouth shut when he said they jump into the fire, cause I've heard of people walking on coals so there was no way I was gonna question the custom of jumping into a fire. I'm really relived that it was a miscommunication!

Here is some information on their celebration from wikipedia:

Chahārshanbe Suri

The night before the last Wednesday of the year is celebrated by Iranians as Chahārshanbe Suri (Persian: چهارشنبه سوری), Sur meansing feast, party or festival in Persian, Azerbaijani: Od ərşənbəsi, Kurdish: arşema Sor چوارشه‌مه‌ سوورێ (meaning Wednesday Festival) in Persian, the Iranian festival of fire. This festival is the celebration of the light (the good) winning over the darkness (the bad); the symbolism behind the rituals are all rooted back to Zoroastrianism.
The tradition includes people going into the streets and alleys to make bonfires, and jump over them while singing the traditional song Zardi-ye man az (ane) to, sorkhi-ye to az (ane) man ("az-ane to" means belongs to you); This literally translates to "My yellowness is yours, your redness is mine," with the figurative message "My paleness (pain, sickness) for you (the fire), your strength (health) for me." The fire is believed to burn out all the fear (yellowness) in their subconscious or their spirit, in preparation for new year.
Serving different kinds of pastry and nuts known as Ajil-e Moshkel-Goshā (lit. problem-solving nuts) is the Chahārshanbe Suri way of giving thanks for the previous year's health and happiness, while exchanging any remaining paleness and evil for the warmth and vibrancy of the fire.
According to tradition, the living are visited by the spirit of their ancestors on the last days of the year, and many children wrap themselves in shrouds, symbolically re-enacting the visits. They also run through the streets banging on pots and pans with spoons and knocking on doors to ask for treats. The ritual is called qashogh-zany (spoon beating) and symbolizes the beating out of the last unlucky Wednesday of the year.
There are several other traditions on this night, including: the rituals of Kūze Shekastan, the breaking of earthen jars which symbolically hold one's bad fortune; the ritual of Fal-Gsh (lit.Divination by ear), or inferring one's future from the conversations of those passing by; and the ritual of Gereh-goshāī, making a knot in the corner of a handkerchief or garment and asking the first passerby to unravel it in order to remove ones misfortune.

 

[elevan]

While I was there I was offered some Iranian delicacies from his homeland. I'm not sure what they were called but they were made with chickpeas, saffron and pistachios. He found it amazing that I was familiar with saffron. They were good whatever they were called.

OH MY GOSH! I wish you had gotten the name. It sounds so yummy that I want some.

I can always have my Mom ask him. They were really good. Tiny little bites of cookie like morsels.

 

[Queen Mum]

Please do if it is not impolite. I bet there is a recipe for them online somewhere. I would love to make some. I love Iranian food. OK, I love any food, but Iranian food is very tasty.

And if it is make with chickpeas, it has to be at least a little bit healthy.

 

[elevan]

I'm sure that it would be fine to ask. He was very "giving" of information.