A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[duluthralphie]

Yeah, I'm agreeing with R2elk. Leave it to him to run the numbers!

Based on the couple of times I have tried to hatch mailed eggs,, There is no doubt in my mind he is correct.

 

[R2elk]

Yeah, I'm agreeing with R2elk. Leave it to him to run the numbers!

I have incubated shipped eggs far too often. For shipped guinea eggs, if the eggs shipped were fresh, I normally got around 60% hatch rate. For the rare type eggs such as the far too many SFH eggs that I tried, the hatch rate was anywhere from 0% to 30%. The best hatch rate on shipped eggs that I ever got was on Black Copper Marans. The eggs were a fill in because the ordered variety weren't available in sufficient quantity and they were really fresh. I got a 75% hatch rate from them. I suppose they did so good because I didn't care whether they hatched or not.

I did end up with people practically fighting over who got to buy them.

 

[JRNash]

I buy eggs off ebay occasionally, when the DW isn't watching.... The hatch rate is abysmal. If I get two out of a dozen I'm happy. I prefer buying chicks,the "up front cost" is well worth it. So charge whatever you like Ralph,you have a unique product and I believe the "Market" will prove out. In my opinion it's a quicker way to get MORE of your birds out there.Fresh eggs combined with your considerable experience equals more birds hatching

 

[duluthralphie]

I buy eggs off ebay occasionally, when the DW isn't watching.... The hatch rate is abysmal. If I get two out of a dozen I'm happy. I prefer buying chicks,the "up front cost" is well worth it. So charge whatever you like Ralph,you have a unique product and I believe the "Market" will prove out. In my opinion it's a quicker way to get MORE of your birds out there.Fresh eggs combined with your considerable experience equals more birds hatching

Just a word of caution on buying off Ebay. Those eggs are a real good way to bring a disease in. I have heard of people losing their whole flocks because of MG coming in on them and with the AI scare it could be a way to bring that in.

Eggs are more dangerous because people hatch them with their own eggs, do not disinfect the incubator after hatching them and do not quarantine the chicks that hatch out of the eggs for 30 days.

I know, I am becoming paranoid about poultry diseases in my old age.

 

[JRNash]

What you call paranoid I call informed.

 

[duluthralphie]

What you call paranoid I call informed.

I use to take chances and get eggs in places I shouldn't. I now have a good flock of good quality birds and will do whatever I have to to protect them.

That means only NPIP birds, good quarantine, never mixing eggs from outside sources and so forth.

Now if I could only find a way for my birds to pay their own way..LOL

 

[rjohns39]

What you call paranoid I call informed.

X2 My eggs are coming from known flocks--but I'll keep them in a separate pasture for 5 weeks then move them in with the flock, in shelter for two before releasing them. None of these folks are willing to ship live chicks.

 

[duluthralphie]

X2 My eggs are coming from known flocks--but I'll keep them in a separate pasture for 5 weeks then move them in with the flock, in shelter for two before releasing them. None of these folks are willing to ship live chicks.

I am now going to try to ship live chicks and poults over eggs. R2elk showed me the wisdom of this move.

 

[memphis]

Good to hear your shipping live Ralph. Can I order one Snitch and two SS? You can add JJ Jr as a big packing peanut....

 

[rjohns39]

Got another dumb question... My bator allows for turning and has a range of 30 minutes to 180 minutes rest between turning cycles. The default is 45 minutes. How long do you let your eggs rest between turns?