California - Northern

[ronott1]

It is 102 degrees on my screened porch.

The misting system is active for the flock. There's a pinhole in my supply hose, right at the connection to the misting system, which is contributing to the process. I thought I'd have to fix it, but it is not losing water in a stream, but a spray just a bit "heavier" than the misting nozzles.

That is hot for where you live!

 

[chiqita]

I'm in Napa, Ca. I have one partridges Cochin hen and two Silkie hens, 9&4 months old

welcome!

 

[SilkieRose]

Hi, all!!!
I've missed you!! Life has been unbelievably insane. I can't go through over 1100 posts!!! LOL I hope everybody is well. Of course, I have a few questions

I'm about to buy a bator & I need the best for less than $200. Using it mostly for quail & occasional Silkies.... I've been looking at the Hovabotor & Genesis... Farm innovator- err something... I don't know which will be the most efficient with self-turning.
Ideas?? I'm looking on Ebay, but I want the best one for the price.
Thanks!!!

 

[chiqita]

Ok, I have a question.
I ordered 3 dz eggs, and a dz were broken.. no padding on the side of the boxes, and 3 boxes were taped together with no fragile marks or anything.

Would you mention to the seller they might want to put packing on the sides? the eggs were very well bubble wrapped, so no noxious egg crap got on the other eggs, so they clearly are paying attention, and not just idiots. But then again, that could mean they are set in their ways. They would have survived ( or some of them at least) with a 1/2 inch of newspaper around the side.

I just don't want to start a confrontation if there is no chance they will listen. I will try and be tactful, just not sure if its worth it...

 

[chiqita]

Hi, all!!!
I've missed you!! Life has been unbelievably insane. I can't go through over 1100 posts!!! LOL I hope everybody is well. Of course, I have a few questions

I'm about to buy a bator & I need the best for less than $200. Using it mostly for quail & occasional Silkies.... I've been looking at the Hovabotor & Genesis... Farm innovator- err something... I don't know which will be the most efficient with self-turning.
Ideas?? I'm looking on Ebay, but I want the best one for the price.
Thanks!!!

Farm innovators can be done less expensivly with turner, etc. But it needs more tweaking then a new hovabator. I like the plastic on the outside, and I had a system on that one to get perfect humidity with a little fish ice cube thing I got from Ikea balanced on the edge of the turner.

If you are doing mostly quail you wont notice a difference in the hatch rate between the 2 i don't think. The eggs are much more forgiving. Silkies however.....

 

[SilkieRose]

Farm innovators can be done less expensivly with turner, etc. But it needs more tweaking then a new hovabator. I like the plastic on the outside, and I had a system on that one to get perfect humidity with a little fish ice cube thing I got from Ikea balanced on the edge of the turner.

If you are doing mostly quail you wont notice a difference in the hatch rate between the 2 i don't think. The eggs are much more forgiving. Silkies however.....

So, Hovabator or Hovabator genesis?

 

[ronott1]

Ok, I have a question.
I ordered 3 dz eggs, and a dz were broken.. no padding on the side of the boxes, and 3 boxes were taped together with no fragile marks or anything.

Would you mention to the seller they might want to put packing on the sides? the eggs were very well bubble wrapped, so no noxious egg crap got on the other eggs, so they clearly are paying attention, and not just idiots. But then again, that could mean they are set in their ways. They would have survived ( or some of them at least) with a 1/2 inch of newspaper around the side.

I just don't want to start a confrontation if there is no chance they will listen. I will try and be tactful, just not sure if its worth it...

I send them a very positive message about wanting to help them be better merchants with this:

An open letter to egg shippers

Dear Sir/Madam

I am excited about our business arrangement and look forward to your eggs arriving here in the best possible condition. While I am sure you have had plenty of experience shipping eggs, I have had vast experience receiving eggs. Many of those I have received have failed miserably. I would like to share what I feel is the ideal way to receive eggs.

1. Eggs must be fresh. By that I mean that they should be less than 3 days. It takes 3 days for USPS to get the eggs from you to me and then they need to rest for 24 hours. Any eggs over 3 days old when shipped will be over 7 days old when I get them into my incubator. (when I negotiate for shipped eggs that I am going to take overseas I only buy from sellers that can collect the day before and the day of posting). Also remember that the older the egg the larger the air cell so the more damage. Please never ship me an egg laid on a Wednesday.

2. Please label the eggs before you wrap them. You may only have one breed of birds but I may be buying several orders at one and sometimes I have to look up the shipping label to reference in order to find out who they came from and what breed they are. I am always impressed when the date laid is also on there. A lead pencil or non-toxic marker such as a sharpie are great. One shipper also included a letter code for the different pens. This was great as I could then provide feedback to the shipper about the hatch rates from different pens.

3. Packing. I prefer the skyline method.http://www.skylinepoultry.com/Packing___shipping_eggs.html using bubble wrapped individual eggs and have them sit large end up. Use lots of shredded paper or styro peanuts to fill the voids between, above and below the eggs. Then place them in a second box with the same material padding. This will minimized impact damage. Lots of heavy and odd shaped items will be in the same trucks as these precious lives. Alternatively, ship with foam inserts available fromwww.texaspoultry.com. I personally use these to ship eggs overseas. They are more costly but the best solution I have found.

4. Shipping. Never ship on Thursday. That will guarantee you will give me old eggs. The best shipping days are Saturdays, Monday and Tuesday. This gives the post office wiggle room to mess up the shipment and still get here with time to salvage. A Wednesday and Thursday shipments are risky. Fridays are OK but occasionally the USPS can get eggs here in 2 days and Friday shipments remove that possibility.


5. Ask me if it is my preference to pick them up at the post office (reducing handling) or not. Some of who work cannot get to the post office. Others would prefer less handled eggs.

6. Ship me what I buy. Yesterday I got a shipment of advertised as 16+ Ameraucana Buff and Ameraucana eggs. 10 were brown. When I contacted the seller he said that they were not buff colored Ameraucanas but Ameraucana rooster over Buff Orpington hens. This is deceptive and I demanded a refund for the whole sale. 6 blue eggs will not help for me at all.


The disclaimer that it is in the lap of the gods after they leave their hands is all well and good but you should give the best product available.



Thanks for reading!

 

[Chickengirl1304]

Silkie rose
I have a hovabator genesis 1588 and love it! Well actually I have 2. And they're digital...super easy

 

[SilkieRose]

Silkie rose
I have a hovabator genesis 1588 and love it! Well actually I have 2. And they're digital...super easy

Thanks!!!

 

[BCollie]

This stuff okay to use as bedding in my chicken coop?