Do you feel bad about doing this?

[adoptedbyachicken]

Folks I have cleaned this up for some very unkind and judgemental posts. Lets get back on track.

Ewesheep there is nothing wrong with what you did, break out analysis it's called is done all the time to test fertility and hatching conditions. Yes it's sad but some things have to be learned.

I agree that full incubation would be a better test, you need to know if they are viable right to hatch.

Bullseyes are simply not a reliable check of hatchability. With a very experienced eye they may indicate early fertility but they never indicate hatchability. They do not even indicate that they egg will start to develop. If your using bulleyes alone to check fertility you should be indicating that in your sales.

 

[Billjr]

From a realistic stand point. Well said Moderator Adoptedbyachicken. Here Here.

 

[Penturner]

For me there would be no difference in an egg that had developed for a week or one that had a bulls eye. Actually there is not difference except in the mind of the person cracking the egg. It is not like it would not matter to me, but it would not bother me. In fact it was exactly what we did in the 6th grade when we incubated 21 eggs or so. we opened one every three days to study the development. Most of the kids would not even look at them. I put them in jars of formaldehyde and took them home. I would also consider some other options for testing such as free test eggs to other people or taking them all the way to hatch and sell the chicks. Actually mailing test eggs me thinks would give you a lot better idea of how your eggs are going to preform if you sell them. If you are testing just for your own hatching, that is different, you do not want the extra stress on them.

 

[rancher hicks]

I don't feel bad about doing that, because I don't do that. Do you feedl bad about doing it?

 

[MuranoFarms]

Quote:
I agree 100%

 

[They Call Me Pete]

My eggs go in the bator and after two/three days after hatch date they get thrown out. I don't obsess about which ones are fertile and which ones are not. I will know in due time.

EweSheep is just looking for justification and clear conscious about it. It's over and done with get over it.

 

[EweSheep]

As in the past, I have sent out test eggs and shipped out to those who wanted them. Nearly ALL of them said got one or two chicks or NONE ever hatched. How I can justify if the buyer thinks my roo is not fertilizing the girls?????? This time I was doing something different and have local chicken friends to vouch for the fertility as well if they ever question it. I did not want to scam them for something they are not going to get EVER. I am aware of shipping are hard on hatching eggs but what if someone wanted MORE eggs when they got chicks in the background and tell me that none has hatched?? That is something to consider as well. I can not guarantee that every egg will hatch but I would try my hardest to get the eggs shipped properly and say prayers that the USPS would take care of them.

Just to prior of popping the eggs in the bator, I sent out Freecycle and posted ads in two local feed stores to see if there are some folks who wanted some "test" babies. No one came forward during that time of incubation nor I really want to have chicks in the basement even my hubby made his reasons known and the furnance is in the same room as the chicks. This year would be the first year not having chicks in the brooder. While we were installing a new washer and dryer, hubby took down the brooder cage and moved it to the other side that has no electric access. That is ok for me. I do not like the dust they put off too. It gets tiriing after awhile trying to clean up those fluffy butts. So it has been four weeks those post ads were at the feed stores, no calls as of today. I bet around Easter they probably would be wanting some! I do not think the rooster will be around in April in time for Easter.

So why go to waste? Let someone else have the goody eggs and I can share the bantam sized Welsummers to BYCers as well. When my Orp girls get broody, there is the chance! Also I am not going to continue with this particular German lines (honestly there is nothing wrong with them but in my eye and my standard, they are a little darker (most German line or German bred birds are darker plumages). I got a friend that got a totally different line and the birds are more like the REAL Welsummer colors but egg color needs to be improved. I will not sell my two girls, they will be incoroprated with the Dutch lines). I would like to focus more the Dutch lines than the German lines. And I have a limited time to keep the roo in the city. In the next month, I will be giving away my Welsummer bantam roo.............so anyone locally wants him, better speak soon before I put him up for Freecycle or 4H project. I live in the city so that is the only time I can have roosters without a problem from the neighbors. Sorry I do not ship...the post office is still giving me a hard time about it.

Looking back, I know it is upsetting to some of you but I do not think I would change anything in what I did or have to do to check fertility. Crying is done, tears are dried and head held high. In due time, hubby will build me a little hutch so I can brood my chickies outside despite of how cold it is or how early in the season.

Thanks to the people who are supportive of this method....it is not easy doing it however it is common sense to verify the fertility. Would I do it again? I don't know for sure until I get my brooder shed up and running ready next year on my new lines.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
EXACTLY! I can see the bull's eye but not all of them will grow past that point. What if the buyer open the shipped eggs and say there are no bull's eyes? That is tough to explain so I had to let them go to be sure. Not every egg will be grow past 3 to 6 days. If I was getting uneven development growth rates, then I would question why was it happening. Every one of them all had equal development, no one was bigger or smaller (runts) than the others. Since it is a small gene pool, limited numbers of Welsummer Bantams in the US, it is possible the roo is a second or third cousin of my pullets which ALL of them were from the same breeder, no other outcrosses. If there was some abnormality due to cousins being used, then that is something to consider as well, if they are too close or every line tracing back to the same breeder, something has to give. I saw no deformity of embryoes that looked out of place.

Crossing the German girls and Dutch roo coming next fall would give me some stronger vigor but the colors can vary.

 

[MuranoFarms]

I understand what you were trying to do...but you stopped mid-experiment! I have had an entire dozen eggs from 1 breeder be fertile, but not 1 make it to lockdown. In the incubator at the same exact time was another dozen shipped eggs from a different breeder and 10 made it to lockdown and hatch. The first breeder offered me more eggs which again, started to develop but never made it to hatch. I didn't have the heart to tell her, but clearly there's a problem if none of her eggs can make it to hatch. I hatched other eggs each time I incubated hers, so I would doubt my incubation method is at fault.

Really, what you did is no more accurate then just looking for a bulls eye.