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

[BullChick]

Ask Duckling if she wants Steven to live, and she will go catch him with her net, and chatter the whole time he’s being processed about all the ways she wants to eat him. I just hope he’s not too tough being so old.

 

[BullChick]

To add to the list of our woes, I only got 4 eggs to hatch out of the 20 shipped to me. I have 2 more in the bator that might survive as assists. I am pretty sure it is because the first 24 hours they were in the bator, the fan was upside down (oops) and they were just barely at a temp to start development. And then the one night when we lost our heat the temp got really low for at least 12 hours. It's a shame because the air cells were all beautiful for shipped eggs!

But...hubby says I can order more....

To be honest, I’m not sure that matters so much. Was the humidity around 40-50% during incubation? The eggs being shipped, and possibly infertile, is more likely the issue.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I just got off the phone with John at the small business wing of the USPS.
It turns out after I dropped them off yesterday evening, they didn't leave St. L till 2:30 PM today. He explained how I could find the most expeditious way to ship birds but apparently, to most zip codes there is no overnight transit. And the last drop off time is around 6 PM. There is no place in the area that sends animals out the same day. Last drop-off at my PO is 5:45 PM and even at the main PO downtown, last drop-off is 8 PM. But what that means is that even if I got the chicks there at 6 AM, they still wouldn't go out till 8 PM. So that tells me I should schedule setting and hatching so they will hatch midday on the day I want them to ship rather than the day before because if I want to ship on a Monday, I can't hatch on a Sunday. If I hatch on a Monday, I can probably get them in the mail by 5:45 PM.
That's a lot to wrap my head around but I can do it.
Shipping chicks comes with a huge learning curve.

Good news. The chicks arrived at their destination PO a half hour ago. I just texted the buyer so I hope he picks them up soon and lets me know if they all survived.

April 30, 2020, 6:44 am
Available for Pickup
SOMERSET, KY 42501
Your item arrived at the SOMERSET, KY 42501 post office at 6:44 am on April 30, 2020 and is ready for pickup.

April 30, 2020, 6:30 am
Arrived at Post Office
SOMERSET, KY 42501

April 30, 2020, 2:22 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
KNOXVILLE TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER

 

[Razadia]

I finally got my tracking number last night.

 

[BullChick]

 

[ChickenCanoe]

He sent me a picture.

 

[Uff Da]

Oh hey! Somerset KY is where my family was from before they all emigrated to MT in the 1860s.

I ended up with 5 babies. I am pretty certain the fertility in my shipped eggs was good, because the person I got them from is widely known in Icelandic circles to be reliable. Last year I ordered from him and got a 60% hatch, and that's when I knew NOTHING about incubating. But I know shipping is rough either way, so I wasn't surprised when only 13 of the 20 made it to lockdown. But I was still disappointed that only 5 hatched. Could it have been the humidity? I was running 30-40%, not 40-50%. Air cells were on track, but ???

They are all little jewels, though!

 

[Uff Da]

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The hatch I sent to KY was possibly the best hatch rate I've ever had.

17 eggs, all developed and 16 hatched.

 

[BullChick]

Once upon a time, I called 1-800-DENTIST. They said the closest dentist they recommended was 3 hours away, “but if you have a dentist you like, you can recommend them!” I guess he missed the point of their service.
I have trouble finding plumbers and landscapers (even the ones that caused property damage quit) because I’m out of the way.
In September ‘18, I told my husband that the roof was leaking. He told me who I was allowed to use... then I had to figure out how to pay for it.
The leak didn’t stop, but I couldn’t get the guy to call me back. Magically, no more leak from December ‘18 to two weeks ago when I woke to a stain on my bedroom ceiling. I tried the roofer a few more times, and then today... The leak is close to where it started in the living room, and it’s just awful!
If you are in the U.S., you know about Angie’s List and Home Advisor. I’ve not had good luck with either, but desperation had me contacting everyone this morning. Guess what? No one is nearby or available.