ACK! She shipped them early!!!

[columbiacritter]

My husband bought eggs off EBAY with the understanding they wouldn't ship until 2-06-11, but the seller shipped them yesterday! They should arrive tomorrow or Friday but we are leaving town for the weekend, back late Monday. The only one watching our house will be my elderly father who does NOT like anything to do with chickens.

What would be better, putting the eggs into our 15 yr old hovabator with little or no supervision or leave them in a cool place until Monday or Tuesday? I've checked with all my chicken friends but they are all goign to be gone over the weekend too.

There is a chance we could scrape together the money for a new bator, but it would be new and untried when we left them.

What to do?!

 

[FireTigeris]

is the hovabator broken or just old?

I set them when you come back

 

[cluckcluck42]

Not cool. I would ask the seller how fresh the eggs are and explain why you are asking, because you are taking off for the weekend. If they are only a couple days old I would wait until Monday.

 

[columbiacritter]

Quote:
Just old, but required a LOT of adjusting the one time we used it last year. It's been in storage since last spring. The DH is supposed to be setting it up this morning with some rocks in ti so see if it will hold temp and humidity.

It's really old, it's one of the square sided ones so I think the styrofoam has micro cracks through it letting to much heat and humidity out. I bouilt a case that leaves only the top open and theat seems to have helped.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Sounds like the seller was protecting shipping DSR. If a seller checks the one business day box, and ships in one business day from payment it is a auto 5 star. There is really no need fr delayed shipments as eggs are going to be stored on one end or the other. In fact it is probably better that the eggs rest for a day before setting.

BTW did you make the delayed shipping arrangements before or after bidding?

 

[Baralak]

Well.. What I would do, since you asked... Find out if these were freshly laid. If your incubator has a turner, put them in the incubator, with the heat OFF and allow the turner to turn away. If it doesn't have a turner, then I would get some egg cartons, place the eggs pointy side down and just wait to set them when you get back. I always let my eggs sit 24 hours before I set them anyway, so you would just be adding another 48 hours.

OR you could open the box, make sure none are broke, tape the box back up, ask your father to tilt the box a few times through out the days while you gone.

Good Luck!

 

[columbiacritter]

Quote:
GOOD IDEA! We could put them in the cool basement with just the turner rockign them while we're gone.