Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[Bookworm0124]

Hope you can get your money back because that's awful. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience.

I haven’t received a message back which is upsetting. I messaged them as soon as I got the box. Luckily I use PayPal so I’m going to open a claim if I don’t hear back today.

 

[Morrigan]

My Delaware eggs finally came in. Mostly dead on arrival. I’ve never seen hatching eggs packed like this. So I’m assuming the 5 survivors are not going to hatch. Now I’m back to square one. Does anyone have A favorite place to get a heritage bird? Hoping to breed my own each year.

That packaging was pretty weak. However, don't give up on the 5 intact eggs. I ordered 6 hatching last year. Packaging was basically an egg carton in a box with sawdust around it. When I opened them up, 3 were smashed and remaining 3 coated in yolk. I wasn't optimistic but I lightly rinsed the intact 3 and set them. All 3 hatched, and weirdly enough, all 3 air sacs looked great. Much better, in fact, then orders of eggs solidly packaged in styrofoam.

Hatching shipping eggs is always a dicy business.

 

[Kusanar]

That packaging was pretty weak. However, don't give up on the 5 intact eggs. I ordered 6 hatching last year. Packaging was basically an egg carton in a box with sawdust around it. When I opened them up, 3 were smashed and remaining 3 coated in yolk. I wasn't optimistic but I lightly rinsed the intact 3 and set them. All 3 hatched, and weirdly enough, all 3 air sacs looked great. Much better, in fact, then orders of eggs solidly packaged in styrofoam.

Hatching shipping eggs is always a dicy business.

At least putting them in an egg carton is better than this packing job... who ships eggs basically laying loose??

 

[Bookworm0124]

At least putting them in an egg carton is better than this packing job... who ships eggs basically laying loose??

They were in an egg carton with newspaper the only indication on the box was “fragile” written on two sides

 

[Morrigan]

They were in an egg carton with newspaper the only indication on the box was “fragile” written on two sides

I read in some hatching forums that people ask those shipping eggs NOT to mark the boxes as fragile, because some USPS workers look at that as a game/challenge. I have no idea if that's true, but every box of hatching eggs I have received has been marked fragile and looks like it's been through a rugby game.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My brother was a rural mail carrier before he retired. He said they had a few idiots working for them, just like everyone else.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hey there, hope y'all are staying well!

I didn't do an 8 week weigh in on my Bielefelder as the 16 week one will be sufficient for my mind with my limited (mind/time) resources. But hey are coming along superbly and I will report future findings, including difference between GFF and Cackle stock as it becomes evident. They surpassed my full grown bantam Ameraucana at 6 weeks of age and growing like weeds but still clearly not CX. They moved to outside coop at 3 weeks, lost supplemental heat at 5 weeks with over night lows around 40 and 12 of them. Quickly learned their way into and out of the coop, only requiring a couple nights help to set the routine... They are starting to friendly up to me and get curios now. Pecking order antics are there but minimal with no apparent bullies (and no attempted mating yet) at 8 weeks, (I have seen it earlier in other breeds). These chicks have already started roaming far and wide, learned to avoid the pigs, and run for cover when they see something in the sky. Hawks hanging around relentless STILL... I can't believe my head count is still solid... there were some CLOSE calls already.. but not with these guys and now they're the big 'uns.

If you remember my chick shipping report or saw it on any posts... then you will know that my route is killer.

To my surprise, Green Fire Farms shipped my next batch of Bielefelder chicks a week earlier than anticipated. Hatched and shipped out Monday, hubby picked them up Wednesday 90 miles south instead of waiting for Thurs arrival when the Postmaster there called. To my SHOCK... 100% LIVE chicks... for the FIRST time in MY history of receiving shipped chicks!

I ordered 10 and they sent 1 extra of each gender for a total of 12. There were TWO heat packs under the hay mat.. they were not quite warm still but definitely not cold yet even hours after the chick were removed. Two corners of the box also had blue grow gel cups tightly secured. I took the chicks out, dipped their beaks and released... not a single one of them was thirsty or cold mad to the core and trying to warm up for hours like those in the past. They happily pecked at the scattered crushed feed and acted like... home hatched chicks!

I shoved them under the (rent a coop) heating plate I just bought on Amazon (after someone posted on here concerned about the temp theirs was maintaining) to show their new warmth source. I cannot believe how long it took me to invest in this VERY worthy piece of equipment... How many hundreds of chicks I've brooded under how many red or white excessively hot (indoors), power sucking, chick stressing, fire starting... unreliable, clumsy... bulbs that go out when everywhere in town is closed... causing the switch to next step up somewhat better longevity yet still mostly awful and very expensive non light emitting, and can't easily assess functionality without burning yourself, yet don't put out the same amount of heat (somehow), 75, 100, 150w ceramic, infrared bulbS .. (Sorry for venting, Something else is bugging me and heat lamps is a better focus ) Make no mistake I also attempted a MHP, and almost suffocated several chicks who got wrapped inside a plastic wrap (instead of press n seal as recommended) cover. I even had to buy the heating pad for the 2 hour bypass function and spent umpteen hours over thinking a stable wire mesh to use.

Seriously though... heat lamps are smaller short term investment. They SEEM cheaper. If brooding more than one group it is a much higher long term cost in both power and replacement bulbs. Heat plates will pay for themselves in power cost alone in the first brood session. Fire safety cannot be understated! Convenience (no looking for something to secure it to). The chick comfort seen is incredible as well! They should make it a law for home use, though I disagree with over regulation and LOVE having options. As I plugged in the plate I though "too bad it doesn't have an LED light".. so my brain can at least see it's getting power even though chick behavior is ALWAYS the best indicator. Low and behold after the lights went down last evening, I could see a little orange light glowing above the plate!

Funniest thing, I was in the kitchen and heard an uproar from the chicks that were so contentedly quite compared to other shipped batches so soon, I had just been thinking. When I entered the room they were upset about one of my cats stalking them and when they saw me they calmed again. I hadn't seen that level of awareness or even of acceptance of me so quickly.. So far, I'm very impressed with Bielefelder growth rate, hardiness, adaptability, beauty, and instincts. I haven't calculated feed intake since there are many other priorities to watch for. You KNOW there's always that ONE mad one... that doesn't seem to get the idea of sleeping at the same time as the others and wants company. It quickly went to sleep on my chest then got tucked in with the others! When I approach and sweet talk they come out happy peeping from under the plate.

 

[Morrigan]

Very happy your new chicks are doing so well. I completely sympathize about the state of postal routes in Nor Cal.

Those brooding plates really are the best. The other great thing about them is that the chicks start off on a natural light/dark cycle.

 

[aliciaplus3]

got our first cornish cross batch of the year yesterday. we ordered through our local feed store who gets them from privet hatchery. all arrived alive and well. this morning my husband asked me what I as going to do with the "melted chicks" in the tub brooder??? they were all stretched out and passed out looking melted! silly birds, we have 6 of my DD's fair project meat birds in with them for the time being, it would be hard to separate them out except the homegrown ones have some color to them... I will try to post updates, I have proven to be less than reliable about keeping up with BYC because we have so many projects going on at home right now.... so many birds hatching or growing

 

[aart]

"melted chicks"