EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[Pensmaster]

The darn post office screwed up with my eggs. I went to pick them up this morning, and they didn't have them. They told me they would probably be in tomorrow morning. So I left...but that just didn't seem right so I looked up the tracking and it said the package was out for delivery. I called the post office, and sure enough, they had taken it out despite the explicit instructions to hold and call. I told them they needed to take it back to the post office because the eggs would cook in a black, metal mailbox on a 95 degree day, and I was on my way out of town and wouldn't be able to get back until late evening. They told me they would try to get ahold of the carrier. I repeated that they HAD to get in touch with the carrier because they were going to kill my eggs if they didn't. The reply was that the eggs would have to finish the route with her.

So the eggs will have bounced across every dirt road in our rural county and then end up back at the post office another night because they couldn't follow simple instructions.

My PO is the best ever when it come to holding egg packages and they still mess up from time to time. The worse shipment was delivered to the box crushed in one corner. 3 of 19 eggs were smashed 1 was cracked but whole. I glued that one with New Skin and it was practically the first to hatch. I’m quite sure he’s the rooster that’s crowing right now.
That hatch would have been 100% except one cut a vein when he hatched.
My last hatch was my own eggs. I may have had a 70% hatch rate on that.

 

[Uff Da]

Day 14 egg cells on my current eggs. I think I may need to decrease humidity a wee bit--I was still running 35-40%, but perhaps I should drop it down to 30-35%? Or should I go even lower? After I hit post, I'm going to get the other eggs from the post office and we'll see the damage. I hope I have Pensmaster's luck!

 

[BullChick]

That looks right to me.

 

[Uff Da]

OK, I've got the new eggs! I requested they be shipped "the Sally Sunshine way," and the seller was happy to do so. HOLD AND CALL was written on huge letters on the top of the box. They are filthy and smell like manure--I've seen occasional eggs this bad before, but the seller needs to re-evaluate her nest situation, because it's not chicken manure. Smells like goats or sheep.

Egg cells...they're small, so that's good. Oldest eggs are 6 days old today. I couldn't find half of them--I'm guessing these eggs are "scrambled?" They're white eggs, so easy to candle. The other half either had loose or jiggly air cells. I've got them fat end up and resting.

 

[BullChick]

Good luck!

 

[Uff Da]

Oh, and regarding the US Postal Service, I'm actually pretty happy with it, in general...because I lived in Mexico for a bit, and let me tell you how much I missed the good ol' USPS. It may function poorly at times, but at least it functions, lol!

 

[Pensmaster]

OK, I've got the new eggs! I requested they be shipped "the Sally Sunshine way," and the seller was happy to do so. HOLD AND CALL was written on huge letters on the top of the box. They are filthy and smell like manure--I've seen occasional eggs this bad before, but the seller needs to re-evaluate her nest situation, because it's not chicken manure. Smells like goats or sheep.

Egg cells...they're small, so that's good. Oldest eggs are 6 days old today. I couldn't find half of them--I'm guessing these eggs are "scrambled?" They're white eggs, so easy to candle. The other half either had loose or jiggly air cells. I've got them fat end up and resting.

Oh my!
Bad enough to worry the entire time they are shipping to you but to have them that dirty.

 

[Pensmaster]

Day 14 egg cells on my current eggs. I think I may need to decrease humidity a wee bit--I was still running 35-40%, but perhaps I should drop it down to 30-35%? Or should I go even lower? After I hit post, I'm going to get the other eggs from the post office and we'll see the damage. I hope I have Pensmaster's luck!View attachment 1865645 View attachment 1865646 View attachment 1865647 View attachment 1865648

I agree with @BullChick they are looking good.
X 2
Shipped eggs can be so frustrating. I’ve had zero hatch before. And you’re working with elevation challenges as well.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Well I use multimin 90 twice a year. four to six weeks before breeding and a month before the kidding, so that helps with a lot of the things that or just low in. I also use loose minerals. the best way that I found a deal with minerals and they still waste is I just have these little containers and I just put a little bit out every few days or once a week depending on how often they're eating it. I also put out two different minerals. Sometimes they really eat one and sometimes the other. by just putting a little bit in multiple containers because I have so many animals that eat and keeps it from being out too long or hogged by one. tractor supply has these little black feeder things it's two pans in one and I usually hang several in the different shelters and put a little bit of baking soda one side and mineral the other or it'll be the two different types of mineral.

I will have to read up on multi min because I never used it, is it costly and where is best place to buy, I assume injection? so only 2x a year? and bucks as well? Thanks!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

my goal soon is to build a mineral feeder they have to kind of stick their head in and has a flip up and down lid for me so that I can cut down on the tendency to want to poop in it and still keep it low enough for the young ones.
something along the lines of nest box when there are two or three with a lid that you can flip up to get the eggs out I'm thinking the same type thing for the goat mineral

but that wont fix the humidity issue with minerals will it? you mean a pvc pipe like the chicken feeders? oh duh read on sal lol