Bad houseguest :( Lost an entire hatch.

[BeardedChick]

Transference, it's what's for coping - if I concentrate on finding muppet chickens today, I won't have time to be angry. Right? Right.

Yes. Exactly, find something positive to think about.

While hindsight is 20/20 and I'm not sure if you normally live alone, but with four in our household I would have pegged that setup as problematic right from the git go.

See, I can understand this happening. There are 4 adults in our household (two elders) and we are not used to having to think about 'protecting' our house. I think if you have kids running around, you probably get more used to thinking in advance about the chaos factor.

 

[Windy Ridge]

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Actually, yes it was:

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I never said it wasn't an honest mistake with her--who can imagine purposefully trying to destroy someone's hatch?--but it's apparently an honest mistake for which she doesn't understand all the implications. As most hatchers know, they're not "just eggs."

For instance, I never would have thought that hatching eggs would cost as much as they do before I started hatching, myself. I mean, eggs in the grocery store are 2 bucks. Someone who doesn't hatch may feel bad about the waste of (what she thinks is) 6 or 8 bucks, but NOT understand the fact that there were living little babies inside ready to come out and be adorable. She may feel more regret when she understands they were more precious than two bucks a dozen, that it's possible for certain breeds you may not even be able to get eggs again right away, but will have to go on a waiting list, and it's possible that the eggs next time around will be mishandled in the post and it will be additional money thrown away.

As I said, if she doesn't understand the loss of the "just eggs," she might understand the loss in other terms, monetary terms. Some people don't assign value to anything inexpensive. That's why people whose dogs kill chickens don't "get" why the chicken owners are upset. After all, common breeds of chickens only cost 20 bucks, maybe. They don't see chickens as affectionate, intelligent creatures that have been killed. They don't understand rare breeds or hard-to-get eggs.

That this was an honest mistake doesn't relieve her of fault. It would simply be (unimaginably) worse if she had meant to screw things up on purpose.

Edited for typos

 

[spookyevilone]

Quote:
Actually, yes it was:

Quote:
I never said it wasn't an honest mistake with her--who can imagine purposefully trying to destroy someone's hatch?--but it's apparently an honest mistake for which she doesn't understand all the implications. As most hatchers know, they're not "just eggs."

For instance, I never would have thought that hatching eggs would cost as much as they do before I started hatching, myself. I mean, eggs in the grocery store are 2 bucks. Someone who doesn't hatch may feel bad about the waste of (what she thinks is) 6 or 8 bucks, but NOT understand the fact that there were living little babies inside ready to come out and be adorable. She may feel more regret when she understands they were more precious than two bucks a dozen, that it's possible for certain breeds you may not even be able to get eggs again right away, but will have to go on a waiting list, and it's possible that the eggs next time around will be mishandled in the post and it will be additional money thrown away.

As I said, if she doesn't understand the loss of the "just eggs," she might understand the loss in other terms, monetary terms. Some people don't assign value to anything inexpensive. That's why people whose dogs kill chickens don't "get" why the chicken owners are upset. After all, common breeds of chickens only cost 20 bucks, maybe. They don't see chickens as affectionate, intelligent creatures that have been killed. They don't understand rare breeds or hard-to-get eggs.

That this was an honest mistake doesn't relieve her of fault. It would simply be (unimaginably) worse if she had meant to screw things up on purpose.

Edited for typos

It was an honest mistake, but she just didn't get why it upset me so much and that's what I'm angry about. They're just eggs to her, but they're pets to me. If it had been a litter of kittens, she'd be just as upset as I was, but she doesn't understand the birds as pets at all.

I didn't buy the eggs, my hens laid them, so there's no cost in that respect. They were the entire first clutch from the very first egg of my second hen and I was super excited for them. I staggered my hatches through the holidays because I have issues with depression at Christmas. The two chicks last week helped, expecting the hatch this week helped, but now it's gone - and not even like a normal hatch loss, but through total inconsiderateness - and I'm just not really dealing.

In other news.. My Craigslist ad got a response from someone who has silkies. I may very well be informing Guest that she's getting in the car and driving an hour with me to pick up fuzzy chickens tonight.

I could always give her the choice.. drive with me to get chickens and have me happy through the holidays, or put up with the SAD + PTSD + first year without my mother + all my military siblings overseas + two brothers dead this year = crushing holiday depression that's just hanging over my head like an anvil. I'm propping it up with baby birds. So far, it's working. I have something else - happy things - to think about when my brain starts going into the bad zone.

I do live alone, and admit I'm not used to guests or having to instruct people about my stuff, but I also figured it would be fairly obvious that the hatcher was plugged into the powerstrip sitting right next to it.

She's not a bad person, and she didn't do it on purpose. It was a mistake, and her response was less than compassionate because she doesn't understand that my birds are just as much beloved pets as my cats are. That's why I wanted to start shouting at her.
-Spooky

 

[Windy Ridge]

That's terrible, but it's true that some otherwise nice people just don't "get" how smart and fun and friendly chickens are, and how devastating losing them can be. (When I lost my favorite hen, I cried for three days and even took time off work. It's a good thing my boss keeps chickens!)

I'm glad you're not out the cost of purchasing eggs, but it's too bad you may not be able to communicate to her the value of what you lost in a way she might understand.

 

[BeardedChick]

My Craigslist ad got a response from someone who has silkies.

Hooray! Now I'm not sure about the combined evilness of silkies + SpookyEvilOne, but I think it sounds like a perfect match. Just prepare for the silkies to steal your soul. I hear that happens alot.

I understand about SAD and winter, too. I have to figure out something in about Oct. to keep me going through winter. I've been trying to hatch some chicks, but am not having any luck with shipped eggs so far. Next hatch is due in a few days, but I'm down to only about 5-6 eggs that look OK.​

 

[spookyevilone]

Quote:
Hooray! Now I'm not sure about the combined evilness of silkies + SpookyEvilOne, but I think it sounds like a perfect match. Just prepare for the silkies to steal your soul. I hear that happens alot.

I understand about SAD and winter, too. I have to figure out something in about Oct. to keep me going through winter. I've been trying to hatch some chicks, but am not having any luck with shipped eggs so far. Next hatch is due in a few days, but I'm down to only about 5-6 eggs that look OK.

HEE!

SpookyEvilSilkies!! ... I think you just named the web page for them.

Mine starts about October too, and this year it was quail. Started with a few, now I'm up to lots, and hatching more.. and it'll be fine on 12/27 when the entire 'bator full starts popping (and man, those little suckers go like popcorn when they start - pop, pop, pop, cheep cheep cheep!) but the five days between now and then is looming longer than I'd like. The first hatch didn't make it, the second produced 3/5 and one didn't make it, and now my third hatch is gone. I'm just so, so glad the 'bator was plugged into another powerstrip or I'd /really/ be crying.

I hope your hatch goes ok.

Whatcha hatchin?
-Spooky

 

[BeardedChick]

pop, pop, pop, cheep cheep cheep

I need to try quail - they sound like fun.

I am trying to hatch a few Marans and BBS orps, just set some olive eggers, and have a mix from Eggbid coming in January. Hopefully next year I'll have a great rooster and can set eggs from my own crew instead of shipping eggs.

Seems like in Feb. the SAD starts to let up. How 'bout you?

Is the silkie going to be a house silkie?

An indoor broody serama would be fun, too.​

 

[BeckyLa]

I totally understand the SAD, too. But I was just wondering if Silkies will hatch and raise quail? One cure for all kinds of bator problems.

 

[BeardedChick]

OMG a silkie with 8 million baby quail under it would be soooooooooooooo cute.

 

[chickiepoo2]

sorry spooky