Fertile Eggs

[Teabone]

I am a Newby to this site and this is my first post so I may make some errors. I have just finished my backyard chicken house and sent for some chicks but I live a long way from where they were shipped and half were DOA by noon of the 20 that were shipped I was left with 5. I do not imagine I need to express how sad my wife and I were yesterday.

It seems that people on this site use fertile eggs for shipping and home incubation particularly in trades among other bloggers. If I am wrong correct me. We would like to have some chickens for our new house so I need to decide on how to accomplish this without going through the dead chick thing ever again.

I have a small yard and was planning to keep 6 Bantam hens. I had settled on 2 Silver Seabrights, 2 Gold Seabrights, and 2 Bar Rocks.If someone can point me in the right direction to accomplish this I would be most appreciative. I live just east of Bandon, Oregon which may have some distance concerns.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

First, you should tell the hatchery that you only got 5 out of 20 chicks alive. I do not think it is the distance, I have had chicks sent to me from almost the other side of the country, and usually only one or two were dead. Which Hatchery did you use?

 

[Teabone]

First, you should tell the hatchery that you only got 5 out of 20 chicks alive. I do not think it is the distance, I have had chicks sent to me from almost the other side of the country, and usually only one or two were dead. Which Hatchery did you use?

I have sent them an e-mail but since it was Saturday I am assuming I will not hear from them until Monday. I would think that if that was normal shipping chicks would not be done as it is I do not have a clue as to the problem other than temperature. The alive ones were extremely stressed and were very quiet, could hardly walk. They would just lay around and die, I was beginning to think they all were going to die.
I will wait until Monday to see what the Hatchery has to say before I go into who it was.

 

[Pyxis]

Very sorry for your losses. If you don't mind answering, where do you live? perhaps we can suggest a closer hatchery so you can try again.

It very well could have been a temperature issue. I'm not sure where you are but it could have been heat stress. Especially if a careless person left them sitting in the sun or in the back of a hot truck.

We could also probably point you towards someone to get eggs from, but it's unlikely that you would find a person with all the breeds you want so you may have to order from multiple people. And shipped eggs are a gamble. You consider yourself lucky if you get 50% of shipped eggs to hatch.

 

[BantyChooks]

We could also probably point you towards someone to get eggs from, but it's unlikely that you would find a person with all the breeds you want so you may have to order from multiple people. And shipped eggs are a gamble. You consider yourself lucky if you get 50% of shipped eggs to hatch.

Very lucky. Sometimes, despite the best efforts you can give, none hatch. The highest percentage I've gotten from shipped is 57%.

 

[Teabone]

I am aware that getting the specific breeds I desire makes it difficult, I will probably go for straight Bar Rock Bantams and who knows maybe my living chicks are all hens. I think the temperature was a cold thing rather than hot. The thermometer on the bottom of the box was 75 degrees when I opened it. Thanks for your input.

 

[Pyxis]

In case you do end up looking for eggs, make sure you're looking for "barred" rock bantams instead of bar rock, since barred is the actual name of the color, describing the barring, and the breed itself is Plymouth rock. So you may find them described as barred rock bantams or barred Plymouth rock bantams and those would both be the same thing

 

[Teabone]

I will keep that in mind when I decide which way to go.