6th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2015 Hatch-A-Long

[LAChick]

We live off grid, on a ranch in the forest, 3 miles from town. The cabin is 400 square feet, small I know. Please let us show you around.

 

[VA Raptor]

This looks like fun! If I can get my hands on Bielefelder and/or Pekin eggs, I might just join in! Family will be majorly peeved.

BYC is getting me into all sorts of trouble....

 

[SilkieSensation]

 


I think hatching eggs are ridiculously expensive! people trying too hard to make a buck!!! I sell hatching eggs (when I have them) for fifty cents a piece and will gladly pay that! I will no longer pay a dollar an egg and would never pay three dollars an egg when you have no idea whether or not it will hatch!!! If you think you have some super special stock you have worked on breeding or collecting I will gladly pay you 5 dollars per chick that does hatch but people need to get a clue and quit being so greedy !!!!!!!                 

I don't think it is greed in most cases. I personally think that paying $1-5 per egg is very reasonable and very acceptable. The reason being is that the person that is selling those eggs has put in extra work, they need to make extra pens, keep breeds separate, collect eggs numerous times throughout the day. Once collected the eggs need to be stored properly and turned 3 times per day until eggs are set or sold or shipped. Work is put into raising the birds and I believe the work should be repaid. Im not into chickens to make money off of them that's for sure lol, but this is a way to help the chickens pay for them selves and the owners deserve it.

I myself sell mix breed eggs for $1 each, non SOP pure breeds for $2 each and Cream Legbar which I am breeding to the proposed SOP are currently for $5 per egg. And I would gladly pay these prices (and have) to others. 

The only eggs I sell at your asking price are layer mixes from my rainbow pen. Feed is not cheap, pens are not cheap, the effort I put into the care of my birds is not cheap and most of my birds are not cheap. The majority of my birds sell for $10-15 each AT HATCH. The cheapest, those layer mixes sell for $3 each AT HATCH. I'm actually taking a huge loss when I sell my duck & turkey eggs for $2-3 each. That's an $8-12 loss per hatchling. If you buy just 5 turkey eggs & get 1 to hatch, you broke even. If you get 2 to hatch, you got them for half price. I would really much prefer to hatch all of my eggs & sell the babies before they are a week old. I do occasionally let some eggs go though.

We live off grid, on a ranch in the forest, 3 miles from town.  The cabin is 400 square feet, small I know.  Please let us show you around.

You sound a lot like me. I'm in process of building a 12x32 cabin with double 12x12 lofts to give 684 sq ft of living space. We plan to be completely offgrid in the next 2 years once we get solar panels installed.

 

[Bazy]

I completely understand both sides about the price on the hatching eggs. I have a price in mind when I start to look for eggs, and if I find them lower than I expect to pay, I'm happy..and if I find them higher, I suck it up and pay the price because they (the breeder) has something I want.

I found Cream Legbar eggs on Craigslist once.."must be set tomorrow" because they were 7 days old and the seller was out of room in the incubator. $10 for the dozen (she gave me 13) and I gave her $20..and I JUST set a batch of Cream Legbar eggs that a friend traveled a state away to bring to me. I paid $8 EACH for the eggs.

One day before I set the incubator, I posted an ad "ISO silkie hatching eggs ready to set immediately!" and a lady an hour away answered..I have a few mixed colors and Frizzles for you if you want them..she drove a half hour to meet me I with her 7 silkie eggs and asked me to pay fifty cents each for them (!!!WHAT!!!) I gave her a dollar each, and told her if she ever needed a 'crazy chicken lady bargain' from me, she was welcome!

It's not all about just the price of the egg, as some others mentioned; It's also about the search, and meeting new people. Sometimes people charge too much for their eggs. If I want their chickens, I'll pay the price but once I have the chickens I don't need that seller any more.

So in summary I bought three batches of eggs. I made a new friend, got the chickens I wanted from the overpriced seller with the help of a friend and made another friend. That's how I see it. (IMO)

 

[FuzzyHens]

@MrsBrooke: I keep infant liquid vitamins (without the iron) and triple antibiotic ointment (without pain relief) on hand when hatching. I use both of these often.

Thanks for this info! I think I've found some eggs, although they will be shipped (to MA) so I'm hoping they have a safe, not too cold trip. I'm narrowing down on which incubator I want, so this is the next piece of info I'm looking for. What to have on hand!!! Excellent timing with this post.

How do you know when to give them the liquid vitamins? Or do you just do this with all of them?

 

[LAChick]

Tommysgirl, thank you for the info...contact Dawn, she is eggless at the moment and steered me to Peter. I emailed him and awaiting his response.

 

[Aliciahess]

Eggs..I need eggs. Can anyone help?

 

[Aphrael]

Glad you found SFH

Isn't it...can you imagine a walk in incubator?

So am I!! I only have a single breeding pair. But I WILL have more. I have some from that pair due on Monday and will be setting as many more as Magnus will gift me with for the NYD hatch. Also hoping, either for this hatchalong or in the early spring to find some more eggs from a different breeder (that packs well) for the sake of genetic diversity.

I don't think it is greed in most cases. I personally think that paying $1-5 per egg is very reasonable and very acceptable. The reason being is that the person that is selling those eggs has put in extra work, they need to make extra pens, keep breeds separate, collect eggs numerous times throughout the day. Once collected the eggs need to be stored properly and turned 3 times per day until eggs are set or sold or shipped. Work is put into raising the birds and I believe the work should be repaid. Im not into chickens to make money off of them that's for sure lol, but this is a way to help the chickens pay for them selves and the owners deserve it.

I myself sell mix breed eggs for $1 each, non SOP pure breeds for $2 each and Cream Legbar which I am breeding to the proposed SOP are currently for $5 per egg. And I would gladly pay these prices (and have) to others.

This is how I look at it...If I go out to dinner and to the movies it's easily 35.00. or more ...for that 35.00 I generally get a meal and some decent entertainment. But there are no guarantees I will really like either.

If I spend 40.00 to 50.00 on hatching eggs I get:

the fun of picking out the breed
the happiness of finding a breeder
the excitement of the arrival of the hatching eggs
the pleasure of making a broody hen happy
the joy of seeing dancing embryos
the thrill of the hatch
and every time so far...at least 1 new pullet who can make me a meal a day and this year multiple cockerels who can feed my family

If you compare it to a night out... there is really no comparison. I get so much more pleasure over so many more days and ultimately weeks and months and years when I hatch. I guess it is all in the way you look at it but hatching eggs is a bargain when compared with most other forms of entertainment and in the end you get chickens

!!!

BTW if anyone knows where I can buy well shipped Houdan eggs...I will almost certainly pay their asking price.

A big x2 to both of these. I can't buy near as many eggs as I would like, because I simply can't afford it. But, I do not begrudge the price at all. So long as the eggs are from good healthy stock and are packed to make their trip as safely as possible. I've had VERY bad luck with hatching SFH. But I have read and researched and learned a lot about dos and dont's when shipping eggs. So I fully intend to buy more for those prices from sellers who meet my shipping requirements, and I am hopeful for much better results.

Thanks for this info! I think I've found some eggs, although they will be shipped (to MA) so I'm hoping they have a safe, not too cold trip. I'm narrowing down on which incubator I want, so this is the next piece of info I'm looking for. What to have on hand!!! Excellent timing with this post.

How do you know when to give them the liquid vitamins? Or do you just do this with all of them?

I put the vitamins in the water for at least the first few days. Longer if it was a rough hatch. If I have one that seems weak or lethargic, or that I had to assist then I give them a drop directly on their beak a couple times a day.

 

[hockeydad6791]

I'm in!!! Been looking forward to the hatch-a-long since the Easter one. I'll be hatching my flocks eggs. Barred rock roo redsex link hens New Hampshire red hens and 5 buff hens.

 

[LAChick]

Ferndale is a nice place. I have been the car show before.

Agree with you, Ferndale is special. Once your here for awhile, you realize it is an artisans' town. My husband plays music as well as a MacGyver around the farm. I am still in the possess of finding some eggs to hatch.