class project Southern NM "begging teacher?"

[WriterofWords]

Hi folks, I'm a new member and I have felt so welcomed with all the replies to my first post in another area! My class will be doing a hatching project after the New Year and I'm trying to find the best deals for us. I'd appreciate any suggestions and offers you have.
We are now the proud ownder of a Hovabator and a Little Giant, we need eggs next! I would like to introduce the kids to different breeds of chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, etc. I have 2 Runner ducks, 1 hen one drake, a Mallard drake and a White Pekin hen (who gets egg-bound every 3 weeks). The two hens have kindly offered up some eggs, but none have hatched, they are young so maybe later there.
If you tell me where we can get the best deals on eggs I would appreciate it.
We live in a desert climate, very hot in the summer and pretty cold in the winter, so they need to fit in here.
Part of my lessons are on respect for the lives of these birds, they will learn this best from the experience of the hatch and seeing them come to life.
I know this is a long post,, I apologize, I guarantee it WILL happen again, notice my username.
Kate

 

[jab91864]

Probably the best deals on eggs you'll find will be here on BYC. Although I have in the past scored some good deals on ebay and eggbid. It's a bit off season for most folks but right about February/March you start to see more ads and auctions go up.

Wouldn't surprise me if you got some folks to send eggs for just postage...depends on how and what you want to hatch. Ducks and probably geese would have to incubated separately because when I did my runner ducks they needed a much higher humidity than chickens.

Best of luck with the incubating.

Julie =0)

 

[WriterofWords]

Thank you very much, and I also didn't realize the Runners needed higher humidity! I just upped it a bit in the Hovabator with my Chocolate Runners donation. I'm kind of wondering if she counts her eggs.... hehehehhheh.
Kate

 

[jab91864]

This is a copy and paste from my notes on the runner incubation

Incubate runner ducks
28.5 days

Incubation


Day 1-25 Day 26-28


Temperature 99.5 98.5


Humidity 86 94


Turns/day 3-7 0

Hope this helps. I don't believe runners sit well. Mine never seem to care when I take their eggs, sometimes they just leave them wherever the mood seems to strike...lol.

Julie

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi Kate!
If Barred Rocks are something you'd be interested for your class project, I can offer those for postage.

Lisa

 

[jkcove08]

This spring I could send you a few goose eggs. They are crosses but would still be neat for the kids to hatch. One thing I have learned with ducks and geese is after the first week of incubation it is good to spray or dip the eggs once a day in or with warm water. This is to replicate the mother going for a quick swim and then getting back on the nest still damp. You stop spraying them when you stop turning them and up the humidity. I also think it helps soften the egg shell for the babies to hatch. Those duck and goose eggs are HARD shelled. I will also have mutt eggs of all kinds that I can send you for just shipping. I think it will be another month or so before they really start laying again though. Depending on what is laying when you want the eggs I can send you a mix. I have turkeys, guinea, geese, ducks, standard chickens and mixed funny lookers. Go to my web site and you can see some pics. I am sure we can work something out. Another thing you might like to hatch if you can find homes for is button quail. They are so tiny and dont take more then 18 days to hatch. I also have those eggs too.. Jenn

 

[WriterofWords]

Thanks folks!
Julie: Thank you so much for those times, I printed them and put them in our hatching notebook we are making.
Lisa: I'm not sure what a Barred Rock is but I'm going to look it up and we would be more than happy to accept your offer.
Jenn: Geese would be great and we were looking at buying those Quail off of Ebay but would much rather work with you. Last year my class tried some Quail eggs we got from Utah and only one even tried to hatch and didn't make it out.

What a wonderful supportive bunch of people I've fallen in with. This will make our project so much more successful.

 

[jkcove08]

No problem. Here is a web site that I get most of my hatching info as far at temps and humidity. The charts they have are pretty good. Just remember that the one is dealing with wet bulb temps and you have to convert it to humidity in percents. In general it is pretty good.
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/exthatch.htm
Also I can clear out my button eggs and start collecting when ever you would like. I am keeping track of all the hatches that are from my shipped eggs and everyone that has bought from me on ebay have been great about letting me know how thier hatch has gone. Unfortunately I had 2 in a row that had nothing hatch but then another batch that I sold a week lated had 17 out of 22 hatch so I am thinking the other 2 might have been x-rayed. Usually they get at least a 50% hatch. I told them if they want to wait for warmer weather that I would send more for just the cost of shipping. Let me know when you want them and I will start collecting. I am getting about 6 to 7 eggs a day other then an odd day here and there that I might only get 3 or 4. That is usually after I clean there pen, they dont like that much. I am in Iowa so it is pretty cold right now, With them heading south they might do pretty good for shipping. Just let me know when you want them. Jenn

 

[silkiechicken]

Another thing you might want to try is to ask locally on craigslist or at the feed store for eggs you can pick up. Often shipping does a number on eggs and if you can get local ones, your hatch might have a much better success rate.

 

[WriterofWords]

Thank you Jenn, I think we should wait until the weather warms a bit. We have had a very mild winter so far but between our states is some pretty cold stuff and I don't want to waste your eggs!

Thank you for the Craigslist, I'll have to check up on that.
Kat