Adventures in Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Morrigan]

Here are pictures of "Leftover" from today. Looking more like a BCM? His feathered feet are kind of comical.

 

[oregonkat]

Yup, not quite SOP but he looks like he has a gentle disposition! You could call him 'LO' (left over) that way when you go to greet him you could say "LO, LO" in a very English accent! Or in a very French accent "Allo, Allo!" Forgive my silly humor!
Anyway, I like him!

 

[oregonkat]

Looks like I don't get any Svart Honas. This is the one I kept, and I'm seeing curved tail feathers. Too bad. "Jenny" is really sweet. I'll have to rehome him. I love this breed, and may try again.

Yes, I think you have a roo there. Gosh he sure is pretty though. That opalescence in his plumage is gorgeous! Have you raised SH before? Do you have any other pics? I would love to see them!

 

[Morrigan]

So far his disposition has been very gentle and calm. I'm trying not to get too attached and keep an open mind until he is more mature.

 

[aliciaplus3]

I started with 24 assorted shipped eggs.
I just went into lockdown with 8
2 ameraucana
2 silver laced wyandotte
2 Dominique
2 red star
We will see what hatches

 

[ohgoodnessguineas]

If you want to do shipped eggs for guinea fowl, I'm going to go ahead and say NO to http://www.guineafarm.com/ they tout themselves as the largest operation (possibly) in America, but their shipping conditions were HORRIBLE!!

I ordered 1 dozen jumbo pearl guinea and 1 dozen pearl hatching guinea eggs. The eggs were put in styrofoam containers just as you'd find in a supermarket, and the filler was VERMICULITE. It looked as if it was done in assembly-line fashion. Maybe one person dusted the bottom of the container, another one stuffed the eggs in, another dumped an additional load of vermiculite on top, then a few pieces of scotch tape were applied to hold the lid in place. Also, there was no additional padding to these containers, they didn't fit well in the cardboard box they were shipped in, and yet, sent on their way, without a care.

My god. I paid $30 for this first dozen of eggs (jumbo guineas) and $20 for another dozen of regular pearl guineas, something my (sadly, now deceased) guineas used to give me for free...in such better condition. Their eggs have SUCH thin shells I was (and still am) questioning whether or not they're truly guinea eggs, or if some random chicken hadn't snuck in and they just didn't care to check.

Anyway. I'm 13 days in (halfway) and 4 of the dozen jumbos are straight clears. I'm no stranger to incubation. I understand that you can't be held accountable for me not being able to hatch an egg, but if you give me an egg that can't hatch...you might as well blame me for not making the sun rise in the west. They look like those damned yellow Christmas lights from the 70s for F's sake. Nothing to it. Big bold and bright. All four of em. NO EMBRYO.

If you're such a great big awesome operation, I think you could send me four eggs and absorb the customer service and get a repeat customer. You might even take a second to get to know your customer before shutting them down as a fool.


Or you could get a really angry person that dumps their heart and soul into watching and tinkering and candling and measuring and weighing and marking and paying a bunch of money for what they expect to be a quality product that turns out to be a 33% DUD. That's after you tell me you sell "fertile" eggs. No ma'am, you do not.


If they are "fertile" then I would like to see the act of god or horrible act of science that I am not willing to do that would fertilize them.

You were supposed to provide that.

"Fertilized" is not "fertile".

GET IT RIGHT or GET BENT GUINEA FARM AND TAKE A FEW SECONDS TO TREAT YOUR EGGS LIKE LIVING THINGS INSTEAD OF PIECES OF CRAP!!!! HERE'S A COUPLE OF PICS OF ONE OF MY POOR PEARL GUINEA EMBRYOS, THAT I HOPE WILL QUIT, FOR ITS SAKE. IT ARRIVED HORIZONTAL THANKS TO THEIR MAILING PRACTICES, SO NOTE THE AIR CELL. THE EMBRYO NOW RESIDES WHERE THE AIR CELL SHOULD NORMALLY BE. ANYBODY BEEN HERE BEFORE?? please advise...i dont know what to do. SORRY I'M YELLING BUT I'M VERY ANGRY!!

 

[ohgoodnessguineas]

GUINEA FARM 21363 WHITE PINE LANE NEW VIENNA, IA 52065-9728 563-853-4195

 

[ohgoodnessguineas]

GUINEA FARM 21363 WHITE PINE LANE NEW VIENNA, IA 52065-9728 563-853-4195

 

[Rebel58]

If you want to do shipped eggs for guinea fowl, I'm going to go ahead and say NO to http://www.guineafarm.com/ they tout themselves as the largest operation (possibly) in America, but their shipping conditions were HORRIBLE!!

I ordered 1 dozen jumbo pearl guinea and 1 dozen pearl hatching guinea eggs. The eggs were put in styrofoam containers just as you'd find in a supermarket, and the filler was VERMICULITE. It looked as if it was done in assembly-line fashion. Maybe one person dusted the bottom of the container, another one stuffed the eggs in, another dumped an additional load of vermiculite on top, then a few pieces of scotch tape were applied to hold the lid in place. Also, there was no additional padding to these containers, they didn't fit well in the cardboard box they were shipped in, and yet, sent on their way, without a care.

My god. I paid $30 for this first dozen of eggs (jumbo guineas) and $20 for another dozen of regular pearl guineas, something my (sadly, now deceased) guineas used to give me for free...in such better condition. Their eggs have SUCH thin shells I was (and still am) questioning whether or not they're truly guinea eggs, or if some random chicken hadn't snuck in and they just didn't care to check.

Anyway. I'm 13 days in (halfway) and 4 of the dozen jumbos are straight clears. I'm no stranger to incubation. I understand that you can't be held accountable for me not being able to hatch an egg, but if you give me an egg that can't hatch...you might as well blame me for not making the sun rise in the west. They look like those damned yellow Christmas lights from the 70s for F's sake. Nothing to it. Big bold and bright. All four of em. NO EMBRYO.

If you're such a great big awesome operation, I think you could send me four eggs and absorb the customer service and get a repeat customer. You might even take a second to get to know your customer before shutting them down as a fool.


Or you could get a really angry person that dumps their heart and soul into watching and tinkering and candling and measuring and weighing and marking and paying a bunch of money for what they expect to be a quality product that turns out to be a 33% DUD. That's after you tell me you sell "fertile" eggs. No ma'am, you do not.


If they are "fertile" then I would like to see the act of god or horrible act of science that I am not willing to do that would fertilize them.

You were supposed to provide that.

"Fertilized" is not "fertile".

GET IT RIGHT or GET BENT GUINEA FARM AND TAKE A FEW SECONDS TO TREAT YOUR EGGS LIKE LIVING THINGS INSTEAD OF PIECES OF CRAP!!!! HERE'S A COUPLE OF PICS OF ONE OF MY POOR PEARL GUINEA EMBRYOS, THAT I HOPE WILL QUIT, FOR ITS SAKE. IT ARRIVED HORIZONTAL THANKS TO THEIR MAILING PRACTICES, SO NOTE THE AIR CELL. THE EMBRYO NOW RESIDES WHERE THE AIR CELL SHOULD NORMALLY BE. ANYBODY BEEN HERE BEFORE?? please advise...i dont know what to do. SORRY I'M YELLING BUT I'M VERY ANGRY!!

I'm so sorry you had a rotten experience with shipped eggs. I had a very positive experience on eBay. Paid reasonably for one dozen guinea eggs, got 14 and 13 hatched. Packaging was excellent. I am sharing a link to the eBay user I bought from.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-12-ext...761352?hash=item3d710e3448:g:ewYAAOSwl4Va12mL

Best of luck next time.

 

[LaurEliz]

I have eggs on day 4. It's my first time with shipped eggs. 12 are French Black Copper Marans eggs and 12 are white leghorn eggs. I live in Illinois. The Leghorn eggs came from Louisiana and the Marans eggs from Missouri, but both were ordered on the same day and both arrived two days after ordering. Last night it was storming and the power went out for around an hour, but I think they stayed warm enough. I shined a light on some of the leghorn eggs in the dark without taking them from the incubator or touching them at all and I think I could see a blood ring on one already, though I can't be sure because it's way early in incubation and it was nothing close to a proper candling.

Wish me luck!