Colorado

[uzisuzuki]

Hi gogetter,
I have only hatched eggs once in an incubator (thanks Margie!). Half the eggs were local and 1/2 were shipped from California. All the eggs shipped developed and 1/2 hatched. The local eggs that were fertile all developed and hatched but one died. 
I didn't/don't know anything about hatching eggs, I just stuck them in the incubator and waited 21 days. I am just sharing what happened.
There are others here who can give you more info on why and how. 
Good luck.
mo

The eggs I'm getting are from GA & I'm planning on doing the same thing - just stick them in the incubator & see what happens. There is a thread about incubating at high altitude that you can search for, @gogetter (sorry, I don't have the link) if you want specific things to do different. I know one of the things mentioned there is using lime salt(?) to help with the lack of oxygen we have up here & higher. I'm not trying that because I have a Brinsea Mini & it's just big enough for the eggs. Anyhow, searching for it might be useful for you!

 

[Ashdoes]

Be sure to sit the eggs on the counter, air cell up, for 24 hours. That's the best advice for shipped eggs. Really, you never know what'll happen. We put in almost 30 shipped eggs, and the only ones we chucked never had veining. I'm guessing they just weren't fertile, which kind of sucks, but I'm sure it's due to the cold weather and Roos just not doing their job 100% yet. The shippers packing job has a lot to do with how well your eggs will do. We had eggs shipped from Cali last year, and not one developed or hatched. It was so disappointing.

 

[corancher]

Here's an very good article about shipped hatching eggs. It can certainly answer a lot more questions than I can.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/shipped-hatching-eggs.aspx

 

[21hens-incharge]

Well we all survived the drive home.
I ended up getting
3 Dark Brahma
6 Partridge rock
3 of the smallest little buff polish (the rest did not make it) Kinda worried about them being so very small.
2 Buff Brahma
1 light Brahma
3 BO
and 2 EE (Could not resist the little fuzziest face EVER)

OH HOLY CRAP that makes 20 I was only supposed to be getting 16 this trip.

 

[Rochelesmit]

My polish are pretty small too. Probably super stressed from extra day/days in shipping the whole weekend! I'm surprised so many made it alive as it was. Good news is they are close to a week old, so fingers crossed if they made it this far they keep going! One of mine is doing really good, other is smaller and doesn't eat or drink as much and weighs next to nothing... But still kickin. Hoping I get home tonight to check on them. I'm hoping the EE has stopped picking on them. Darn thing is only 2 weeks old and just as mean as a big hen to the newbies. And the stupid little things have no sense, they keep following the EE around.
Aren't those partridge rocks the cutest? I wish I had gotten more. Mine is so sweet and calm.

 

[21hens-incharge]

A few pics of them.
Sorry the color is so off. I did not want to handle them too much just yet so tried to get shots of them in the brooder.

I think you can see the puffy cheeks in this pic.
I am hoping it turns out to be a white ee girl.

This is what they have been doing since I got home.

Must like the chick granules I went and got. Partridge rock to the left.
Silly polish is the tiny tiny one there. I think the one in the middle is one of the BO and the white one toward the top is the light Brahma.

Little polish looking at the wall thinking "If I can't see you, you can't see me." More pushy Partridge rocks in there too lol.

What is this? Is that a chipmunk? OH NO however will I tell DH that there is another EE in there?

So far so good after the long car ride home.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Nice chicks! Pretty windy here today, pushing the snow into drifts. Guess I better go find my sense of humor.....

 

[suncatcher]

How cute!!! Pretty sure the EE's are pullets, as they can be sexed, it is the bantams that usually come as stright run only. Was a trip well worth it to get all thos fuzzies!!!

Hope everyones hatch's on shipped eggs goes well!!!!

 

[Rochelesmit]

Chicks are buy 12 get 13th free at Elizabeth/Kiowa feed stores till the 11th... In case anyone was headed that way.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I was a bit perplexed as my son pointed out there are 4 dark brahma in the brooder. I should have only gotten 3. I think they are trying to thin down the chicks since they just got more in today. That means I have 6 brahma now with only one being a buff and one a light. OH MY I had planned on only 3. I do not think I was charged for the extra dark one either.

I had to clean 2 little bottoms when I got home from work. I knew I would need to really watch the polish. One little polish seems to have sores on her hocks I am not sure what caused them but noticed them when I was putting them in the brooder yesterday. Man is she tiny.

Was the drive worth it? Only time will tell if I was able to avoid the issues that my hens from the other hatchery have had. So far I think so. These little monsters are very active and happy. I am hoping for them to tame down in a few weeks when they get used to me more.

I know culling my older hens will be hard since they are all very tame and friendly. I do not look forward to that day but believe it is the responsible thing to do for my flock. I cannot just run a retirement home for spent hens nor can I add without removing.

The family is still expressing sadness at a few of the ones that will be going but have accepted the fact that right now there are 39 chickens here and that number is just to many for us.

I am happy with the assortment that I chose and the overall health of the chicks so far. DH kept pointing to the little chipmunk one and asking what kind that one was. I kept saying I did not know. Then the others moved and he saw the green legs. LOL I guess he knows now. Of course he just had to hold one. He managed to catch one of the Brahma and she has him won over already.
My son keeps calling the white ee grandma since she is lightly gray on the head. I am afraid that name may stick.
The polish are Misty, Molly and Jennifer aka pasty butt.

They should all be pullets. Hoping for some nice layers in the mix. Still have to go back to get the BA's when they come in. I hope I do not end up bringing home another 15 or so lol.