Eggs in the mail

[TammyD]

Well, the eggs I ordered are in the mail & USPS Priority Mail tracking says they left the Elk Grove Village, IL facility today. It's already after 5pm & I called our PO before they closed & they hadn't rec'd them, yet. So, my eggs are in transit (it's about 2 hrs +/-) from Elk Grove Village to our itty bitty PO so they're either sitting in a truck or in the back room of our PO unbeknownst to the Postmistress.

Arrggghhh! It's 52` here & will get into the lower 40s tonight. Oh I hope they do ok!!! I'll have the incubator set up & ready to go before I go to bed tonight & will head to the PO in the a.m. as soon as the kids are on the schoolbus. Why, oh why, couldn't today's weather be like last week & be in the 70s & 80s?????

TammyD

 

[speckledhen]

Those temps will be fine if they're packed well. It's better very cool than hot for shipped eggs.

 

[KKluckers]

Your eggs should be fine. I know the anticipation kills me when I have to wait.

 

[beebiz]

Waiting and an inpatient mom/pop to be are a good a good start down the path to a bald head (from pulling your hair out)!! Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, coffee mug, hat, and even got the back of my hand stamped!!

Good luck with your eggs!! They should be fine!

Robert

 

[Davaroo]

Cyns right. The best time for shipped egs is fall/winter

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi Tammy!
I agree, better sitting around in cooler temps than warmer temps.
I hope you find them all-intact and happy (well, as happy as an egg can be) when you pick them up in the morning.
What breeds are you getting?

Good luck!
Lisa

 

[TammyD]

I took a chance & bought 18 Cuckoo Maran eggs off ebay. The gal's seller score was 100% & she said that of the eggs she's shipped she's been told that the hatch rate is in the 90% range. From reading the review, she usually sends extras, too. So...out of 20 eggs, if I get a hatch rate of 75% I should have 15 chickens (right?????) And, we all know that it's NOT 50-50 for pullets-cockerels. So, I figure out of 15 chicks I may get 5 or 6 pullets & the others will be meat (I guess). IF, I would get a majority count of pullets I'll be looking to trade a couple for blue-egg layers & other breeds of brown-egg layers.

It's 50` still but it's blustery. She says she packs really well so we'll see. The kids get on the bus @ 7:23 a.m. & I can have the horses turned out & my teeth brushed

& be @ the PO @ 8:00 when they open. I have an office meeting @ noon, the contractors are coming to measure the kitchen for a remodel @ 1:00, kids get off the bus @ 4:00 & tomorrow is my daughter's birthday so I need to make the cake or pie or whatever she decides on (steak & baked potato for dinner - easy peasy). OH! My husband has no idea I bought these eggs

. I borrowed the incubator from the science teacher @ my kids' old school (need to get a digital thermometer for it) & don't have a chicken house (yet) to put them in later on. I have several barns & a couple of empty stalls but none of them are predator-proof yet.

What temps do I need to keep the incubator at? Should I keep a small bowl of water in the bottom of it? It's full-view, styrofoam, hova-bator # 1582. I have probably 20 eggs coming - will they all fit???? 21 days' gestation (I think) & I know I need to turn them an odd # of times per day. I figure I'll turn them after the kids go to school, when they get home & just before bed. Sound ok to you guys????? The bottom of the incubator is hardware cloth-type wire. It's ok to just keep the eggs on that & not put a paper towel or anything on it, right?

Yup, I'm psyched!

TammyD

 

[Davaroo]

Wow, Tammy! I gues you are psyched. What a plan! I admire your sense of committment. Better tell your DH, though.

What temps do I need to keep the incubator at?

Around 100. 102 for still air, 99.5 for forced air. Dont freak for little variance around this. DO get a digitherm and a water weasel.

Should I keep a small bowl of water in the bottom of it?

You should know your ambient humiduty and adjust accordingly. Bit in general, put water in the little channels in the bottom - I've use a turkey baster with an extension tube for this. in the last few days, (day 18), STOP turning/rolling the eggs and put a dampened sock in, too, to raise the Rh.

I have probably 20 eggs coming - will they all fit????

Yes. Please have it running now, to stabilise it.

21 days' gestation (I think) & I know I need to turn them an odd # of times per day. I figure I'll turn them after the kids go to school, when they get home & just before bed. Sound ok to you guys?????

Three times a day is enough. Just pop out a window and roll them around by hand. Try to move them around the chamber when you do this. Watch the heater - it can be hot, or just pull the plug when you do it. See if you can find some clean cotton gloves and use them when you do it. You shouldnt touch the eggs with your hands, as a rule.

The bottom of the incubator is hardware cloth-type wire. It's ok to just keep the eggs on that & not put a paper towel or anything on it, right?

It is.​

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

The final time you open the incubator before hatch, some suggest putting down cheesecloth so the chicks will have a better grip when they arrive.

Great luck with your hatch! Be sure to post pics! I check out those Cuckoo Marans on E-bay all the time (LOVE those choc brown eggs). They might be on my list in the spring

Be sure to post pics!

Meghan

 

[TammyD]

Well, the kids are enroute to school on the bus. The dishwasher's running, the horses were fed @ 6:30 so they'e ready to go out now. Checked here to find out the last minute details (THANKS GUYS!!!) before heading to the PO (they open @ 8:00, I think). I'll get the digital thermometer from the frig in the barn. I have the incubator plugged in & pre-heating. I'll find out what a "water weasel" is & see if they have one @ the little hardware store in Shabbona (6 miles, they open @ 9 or 10). Otherwise, it's a trip to Farm & Fleet asap but today they'll have to make due with a peanut butter jar lid full of water on the incubator floor with them. Thanks, again!

Oh, no need to mention this to DH

I asked when I bought our first horse & he said, "NO!" so I bought her anyway a month later. Didn't ask when I bought the 2nd horse or the horse trailer & then I bought the 2 horses on the property when we bought this place last summer. Also didn't ask when we brought home the goat a year ago (she's now residing @ a petting zoo - didn't want 2 & she was SO sweet, she needed to be around people & other goats more than she was able to as a solo goat here.) He didn't ask if he could buy his new motorcycle. Hey, after 18 years, what's he gonna do?

When told once by a friend that "Tam's mad", he replie, "She'll get over it". So long as I don't ask HIM to do the work with my "collection" & it doesn't impact the budget too much, there's usually very very little argument. Besides, he actually likes most of what I do <g>.

OK, off to put the horses on pasture & call the PO & go get the eggs before my SIL & BIL & DH come for our business meeting @ noon & the contractor gets here @ 1 & I try to find time to make my daughter's birthday cake (she wants cheesecake). TTYL
TammyD