Buckeye Breed Thread

[jenjscott]

Quote:
This is not my understanding. By this logic, the juveniles from a couple months ago (I hatched in October, 2010) must be shown as hens & roosters. My understanding is that >12 months old is a hen and <12 months old is a pullet (& likewise, >12 mos old is a cock and <12 mos is a cockerel).

Chris

Chris, in some of the fall shows (ie, shawnee) they specified everything hatched before January 1 were roosters/hens.

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

I'll have eleven Buckeye cockerels and a couple of pullets that I'd like to sell at about 20 - 24 weeks old, they were raised from day-old chicks from Buckeye Dave. I have no idea what a fair price would be to ask for them. They were raised on turkey and game bird starter so seem to be good size birds. Any advice on what would be a reasonable price?

 

[cgmccary]

cgmccary wrote:

Janet Hatch wrote:

However, it's my understanding if you are showing birds at an APA show, January 1st is the "hatch day" so a pullet from 2010 becomes a hen on 1/1/2011 -- regardless of whether she is 12 months old or not.

If this is incorrect, please let me know.

This is not my understanding. By this logic, the juveniles from a couple months ago (I hatched in October, 2010) must be shown as hens & roosters. My understanding is that >12 months old is a hen and <12 months old is a pullet (& likewise, >12 mos old is a cock and <12 mos is a cockerel).

Chris

Jenscott wrote: Chris, in some of the fall shows (ie, shawnee) they specified everything hatched before January 1 were roosters/hens.​

Those fall shows are clearly in conflict with the Standard of Perfection which defines "HEN: A female fowl. For exhibition purposes, a female chicken or turkey one year old or more." And the SOP is equally specific about the exhibition definition of a pullet as "PULLET: For exhibition purposes, a female fowl less than one year old."

And also, in the SOP, a "COCK: A male fowl one year old or more." And, "COCKEREL: A male fowl less than one year old." I don't see any other way to read it except with my understanding and it simply does not make any sense those Fall shows' way. They are wrong.​

 

[j.luetkemeyer]

I have also had really bad luck with shipped eggs and those that hatch are usually cockerals. I'm wanting to begin by own breeding program and have been trying for a year and a half but do to these poor hatch rates I haven't been successful.

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
Jenscott wrote: Chris, in some of the fall shows (ie, shawnee) they specified everything hatched before January 1 were roosters/hens.

Those fall shows are clearly in conflict with the Standard of Perfection which defines "HEN: A female fowl. For exhibition purposes, a female chicken or turkey one year old or more." And the SOP is equally specific about the exhibition definition of a pullet as "PULLET: For exhibition purposes, a female fowl less than one year old."

And also, in the SOP, a "COCK: A male fowl one year old or more." And, "COCKEREL: A male fowl less than one year old." I don't see any other way to read it except with my understanding and it simply does not make any sense those Fall shows' way. They are wrong.

 

[Tailfeathers]

j.luetkemeyer :

I have also had really bad luck with shipped eggs and those that hatch are usually cockerals. I'm wanting to begin by own breeding program and have been trying for a year and a half but do to these poor hatch rates I haven't been successful.

While I have not actually shipped any Buckeye eggs, I have shipped Ameraucana and Welsummer eggs all over this country with good results. I don't think I've ever had any customers who haven't gotten at least a 50% hatch rate. I understand that one can’t make certain guarantees with hatching eggs because of the various and numerous unknown variables that come with transporting them thru the mail. However, I do think one can guarantee fertility within a reasonable percentage. I have had two experiences where I paid a lot of money for some very special eggs and wound up with 100% blanks on one occasion and a bunch of eggs that were already smelling by the time I got them on another. I’ve shipped eggs all over this country for years and most of my customers get a 75-80% Development Rate.

I choose to look at the Development Rate vs. the Hatching Rate as I have no control whatsoever as to what kind of incubator one uses (many are homemade) or what they do with the eggs once they’re in the incubator. I once watched a woman stand there talking for a good 5 minutes or more while she had the lid to her Hovabator open and filling the small water tray. I think I have some responsibility to ensure that I’m at least sending fertilized eggs and my customers have wound up with very few blanks. I also think I have a responsibility to pack the eggs as best I can for transport and I’ve only wound up with a cracked egg I think twice. The first time was early on in my days of shipping eggs when I was using packing peanuts which I don’t do anymore and the second time was when I shipped a bunch of eggs to New York. There was one busted egg and two cracked eggs in that box and the guy said it looked like somebody had been playing soccer with the box. But I always ship 3-4 extra “insurance eggs” and if I remember right he still wound up with 10-11 chicks. I don’t think I’ve ever had a customer wind up with less than a 50% hatch. In my opinion, that is still very good considering the alternate cost of having chicks shipped.

I've also had Buckeye eggs shipped to me with good results. Again, I can't remember for sure but I'd say I got at least a 50% hatch. And in about 19 days I'll be able to let you know how my latest batch of shipped eggs turn out!

With regard to shipping eggs and most being male, it may be obvious but the sex of the chicken has nothing to do with whether or not they were in the mail.

God Bless,​

 

[Tailfeathers]

Quote:
I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks Chris for posting that.

Btw, did you happen to get my email from a few weeks ago?

Edited to fix a major typo blunder. Hope I didn't offend anyone!

God Bless,

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Everyone has a different way to pack hatching eggs for shipping. Received some this week that were wrapped in bubble wrap individually and the packing material was a dismantled and crumpled RH Shumway seed catalog. Seemed to work. No cracked or broken eggs. The box was in fine shape as well. The shipper did cheat on some other packing as well. Instead of taping the bubble she used the free Priority Mail stickers. Cheap but it worked. Now if I can get my Genesis to hatch them all! Just wished next time she would use newspaper and leave the catalog in tact. Would have been nice to read the catalog! It may actually be illegal to destroy a perfectly good seed catalog......

How do you pack your eggs now?


Quote:
While I have not actually shipped any Buckeye eggs, I have shipped Ameraucana and Welsummer eggs all over this country with good results. I don't think I've ever had any customers who haven't gotten at least a 50% hatch rate. I understand that one can’t make certain guarantees with hatching eggs because of the various and numerous unknown variables that come with transporting them thru the mail. However, I do think one can guarantee fertility within a reasonable percentage. I have had two experiences where I paid a lot of money for some very special eggs and wound up with 100% blanks on one occasion and a bunch of eggs that were already smelling by the time I got them on another. I’ve shipped eggs all over this country for years and most of my customers get a 75-80% Development Rate.

I choose to look at the Development Rate vs. the Hatching Rate as I have no control whatsoever as to what kind of incubator one uses (many are homemade) or what they do with the eggs once they’re in the incubator. I once watched a woman stand there talking for a good 5 minutes or more while she had the lid to her Hovabator open and filling the small water tray. I think I have some responsibility to ensure that I’m at least sending fertilized eggs and my customers have wound up with very few blanks. I also think I have a responsibility to pack the eggs as best I can for transport and I’ve only wound up with a cracked egg I think twice. The first time was early on in my days of shipping eggs when I was using packing peanuts which I don’t do anymore and the second time was when I shipped a bunch of eggs to New York. There was one busted egg and two cracked eggs in that box and the guy said it looked like somebody had been playing soccer with the box. But I always ship 3-4 extra “insurance eggs” and if I remember right he still wound up with 10-11 chicks. I don’t think I’ve ever had a customer wind up with less than a 50% hatch. In my opinion, that is still very good considering the alternate cost of having chicks shipped.

I've also had Buckeye eggs shipped to me with good results. Again, I can't remember for sure but I'd say I got at least a 50% hatch. And in about 19 days I'll be able to let you know how my latest batch of shipped eggs turn out!

With regard to shipping eggs and most being male, it may be obvious but the sex of the chicken has nothing to do with whether or not they were in the mail.

God Bless,

 

[muddstopper]

j.luetkemeyer :

I have also had really bad luck with shipped eggs and those that hatch are usually cockerals. I'm wanting to begin by own breeding program and have been trying for a year and a half but do to these poor hatch rates I haven't been successful.

j.luetkemeyer :

Eggs received today!

I am just wondering if the bad luck with your hatching shipped eggs was in part some of the eggs I shipped to you. The above quote of eggs recieved is the last contact I have had concerning the eggs I shipped. These eggs should have been Christmas chicks for a hatch date. Anyways, let me know how that hatch went. My girls are laying pretty well right now, but I am haveing problems gathering before they freeze. I can ship you more eggs if you want, but with the freezing weather, it would be a big gamble.

Did you get another incubator, I know you had said you where using a little giant styrofoam incubator for hatching your eggs.​

 

[muddstopper]

Quote:
Like This.

The brown looking material inside the shipping box is actually sawdust. It works well to poke around the egg rolls to keep them from shifting inside the box. I will admitt that I have recieved eggs and reused the extra bubblewrap in the place of the sawdust. Either method seems to work.