Maine - Page 290

I candled the eggs again, and out of the 9 Orpington eggs, I saw movement in one.   Of course I can't see anything in the Marans eggs because of the shells. Hopefully they will start hatching today     Does anyone have any hatching eggs they would like to sell ?  I don't think I'll be doing shipped eggs again.

 

 

Don't give up on shipped eggs, just yet. If you have a rooster you should participate in some of the "free" swaps - send 6 of your own eggs, get 6 back, only pay for shipping. Experiment with different things to do - I've found that if I let the eggs sit in a cool and damp place (ie the basement) for at least 24 hours (and rotate them slightly on their axis twice daily) I have a good hatch out of them. I threw them in the incubator once without resting and had a completely dismal hatch. Won't do that again!

The swaps are a lot of fun, too.

 

 

 

I do alot of different swaps, love getting eggs from away, never know what you will hatch. I always let my shipped eggs rest for at least 24 hours. I normally get 9 out of 12 eggs to hatch. I do however tend to order eggs on the east coast rather than from the other side of the country.

Yeah, my eggs came from Alabama and Florida.  Thanks to Hoppy, I have a few more cockerels, so I will be doing some hatching later this year. I now have an Orpington, BLRW, GLW, and Partridge Rock cockerels, so mixed w/ the lovely ladies that I have, there will be some gorgeous little fuzzy butts !  SCG, I may just have to do one of the swaps someday. 

Shipped eggs are always risky, but sometimes it's what you have to do if you want a a particular breed. My first shipped eggs were from California, and that was my best hatch (10 of 13), and I only rested them 12 hours. Tennessee, I got 7 of 15, and Washington State, 2 of 17. I tried incubating without turning for 7 days that time.

It is really best if other people give feedback about packing and hatch-ability. I didn't have that type of feedback for the Washington eggs, but took a chance because she had two different breeds I wanted.
You just have to be willing to throw some money away. The way I look at it, we go out to dinner every other Friday or so and spend up to $45, and that money is gone in an hour. My problem is that there are so many breeds I want to try, and I'm not that into setting up a bunch of breeding pens.

Hoping to get some necropsy results (and also a stool sample from the other sick hen) today!

Well, it is official. My sizzle "roo" is actually a sizzle hen. The egg laying kinda tipped me off

 

Now, a question for you incubators and bantam owners. I would really like to hatch out some of RePete the Accidental Bantams eggs (heck, now maybe even some Pete eggs!). I have checked for the bullseye (woot! its there!) so pretty sure they are fertile. The thing that has me worried is how TINY the eggs are. Is that normal for a bantam? I always read you guys saying that they are regular sized eggs, but these are definitely NOT. I wouldnt be setting them until June, but still wondering if they should be so tiny.

the first eggs laid by a hen are generally smaller (they call them pullet eggs). i don't like to hatch pullet eggs because the egg is smaller and so will be the chicks. eventually they will get full size but it takes them longer and they may still be smaller birds. if you wait 2 months, the eggs will probably be larger. my sizzle/silkies eggs are about 1 1/2 inches long. that's awesome that you have a little girl!!

 

 

i am looking for some fun healthy chicks that will lay by the summer,  Hearty and friendly girls, 4-5-? From Portland up to Ellsworth,I could travel,suggestions?

there are 2 poultry swaps this weekend on saturday, brunswickand augusta, at the  Tractor supply for both. 8:30-1 for augusta and 9-2 for brunswick.

there are threads started under the chickenstock thread so see who is bringing what.and who wants wnat, you might post under one of those if you can make one those swaps or check the maine chick swap thread (see the link below my siggy) for other swaps coming up.

 

 

 

 

 

No idea where Ellsworth is but I'll have some olive egger girls that are going to be about 11 weeks old at the Augusta swap this weekend. They'll be laying in another 8 weeks give or take.