Hands on hatching and help

[RubyNala97]

She was going on about her breeding program and all these other things. She even suggested they might be mixed. They are definitely not. Even though she said she was knowledgeable things she was saying and doing weren't adding up. She was and is still a very nice lady. I think she may just be the type of person to exaggerate or I'm just a sucker.
These were a few weeks old already. They probably only needed the light for a few more weeks. I do feel like it's my fault though. I should have said something when I realized she was talking out her behind but I'm one of those people who hates confrontation. Lesson learned though. I just feel bad cause every chick I hatch feels like my baby. When I think about them dying that way my stomach turns...

I know how you feel. That's the worst part about selling poultry. Sometimes you get really awesome, knowledgeable customers and sometimes you get people that are wanting to buy first and then research later. I actually had someone that was inquiring about buying ask me "do silkie chickens lay eggs?"!! I mean that was a serious question. How the heck do they think they reproduce?? Live birth? A stork brings silkie chicks to the nest box?

Ruby, the Orpingtons that I was given a while back, 2 were broody at the time. (that was the reason she didn't want them, they kept getting broody and she didn't have a rooster). We pulled 2 of the 4 out of the nest box that day. Once we moved them, they quit being broody. One did go broody again several months later, a chocolate, but the lavender one never did again.

So you could list them and stress that they are broody, maybe someone would want them for that reason, or maybe the move would break them. Just a thought.

That's an idea. I've been so busy I have not been able to look into breaking techniques. But I have been lifting them out of the nest box everyday and putting them in the yard. I went from 5 broodys to 3. It's kinda funny....here's a pic of after I picked them up and put them down outside...

It took them awhile to get up but eventually they did.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I have always used a still air Little Giant 9200 to incubate my eggs. I have hatched dozens of Cockatiel eggs as well as my beautiful white Goffin cockatoo.(Elvis) I still have today ( 9 yrs later) and he had trouble cracking that shell..against all talk about not touching the eggs, Im sure he would never had survived if I hadn't helped..
I have moved on to hatching some bigger babies (incubating chicken and ducks). I have hatched several Americauna chicken eggs and a few Peking ducks with some hands on help. I was really new at hatching and hand feeding nine years ago, and am no expert today for sure,
with the smaller birds I listened to the chatter of, don't touch the eggs when hatching.! I quickly learned it did not make a difference, if I hadn't they
would have died any way. so my thing is, scrub up and help them all you can when they are in trouble...Its never done me wrong yet.

I have for the last two years been using the LG9200 as well. Mine had the fan kit installed though. It's been a good bator, but the elements are acting up now so it's time to retire it. It was my sister's and she had it for a good 3-4 years before I took it so it definitely has gone aboe and beyond the styro's reputations. The 9200 models were much better than these digital LGs.

Aww I traded a bunch of jubilee orpingtons to this nice lady who said she knew chickens really well. We traded 12 and she took some roosters. Well I talked to her tonight and she tells me all but 4 died then asked if my chickens were sick... not one of mine are sick right now or then. All were healthy. I even have a few still who were sharing a brooder who are thriving! I'm so bummed she killed them all.

I kind of suspected she may have been exaggerating her knowledge. I gave her some 6 week old cockerel cochins and she just threw them out in the yard with her grown roosters. I wanted to to take them back then but I'm to passive aggressive... now I feel horrible.

That sucks.

Yes, mine are always so dirty...not just one but a lot of them. I have one girl that has/had a super big crest and she loves the fermented feed. But her crest was getting soooo dirty! It looked like dreadlocks all around her eyes and beak. It was actually so bad that she couldn't lift her head all the way up. It would take forever to wash it. I had to soak it in warm water and then pull clumps of feed/dirt out. And that's not easy when you're trying to avoid getting water in her nostrils/beak/eyes. I finally gave up and trimmed the whole crest off! All around her eyes, gone! I figured I'm not showing her and I know how big & beautiful it was but it became a health issue with her neck. I'm not exaggerating, it was bad. She is so happy now! She prances all over the place, it's so funny. What a difference in personality and she looks much cleaner now!
That's terrible. I screwed up once and sold chicks to a nice young woman. She begged to come get them a day early (she was traveling and her work schedule changed) and they had just hatched. She had a few chickens and I had hoped she knew what she was doing but she didn't. She had them outside and was playing in the yard with them and posting pics on FB. They were only like 10 hours old. The next morning she woke up and almost all of them were dead! I think it was to much stress right after hatch because the ones I kept from that batch are thriving and all grown up now. I will never make that mistake again. (Not saying you made a mistake, I did). I won't sell chicks until they are eating/drinking and a coupe days old, now. I know how you feel, selling them just to hear they didn't make it.

A silkie with dreads...lol

Ruby, the Orpingtons that I was given a while back, 2 were broody at the time. (that was the reason she didn't want them, they kept getting broody and she didn't have a rooster). We pulled 2 of the 4 out of the nest box that day. Once we moved them, they quit being broody. One did go broody again several months later, a chocolate, but the lavender one never did again.

So you could list them and stress that they are broody, maybe someone would want them for that reason, or maybe the move would break them. Just a thought.

That's a good point. Many people want chickens that will go broody.

I know how you feel. That's the worst part about selling poultry. Sometimes you get really awesome, knowledgeable customers and sometimes you get people that are wanting to buy first and then research later. I actually had someone that was inquiring about buying ask me "do silkie chickens lay eggs?"!! I mean that was a serious question. How the heck do they think they reproduce?? Live birth? A stork brings silkie chicks to the nest box?
That's an idea. I've been so busy I have not been able to look into breaking techniques. But I have been lifting them out of the nest box everyday and putting them in the yard. I went from 5 broodys to 3. It's kinda funny....here's a pic of after I picked them up and put them down outside...

It took them awhile to get up but eventually they did.

I have 4 atm that are. It's time to start breaking them.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I know how you feel. That's the worst part about selling poultry. Sometimes you get really awesome, knowledgeable customers and sometimes you get people that are wanting to buy first and then research later. I actually had someone that was inquiring about buying ask me "do silkie chickens lay eggs?"!! I mean that was a serious question. How the heck do they think they reproduce?? Live birth? A stork brings silkie chicks to the nest box?
That's an idea. I've been so busy I have not been able to look into breaking techniques. But I have been lifting them out of the nest box everyday and putting them in the yard. I went from 5 broodys to 3. It's kinda funny....here's a pic of after I picked them up and put them down outside...

It took them awhile to get up but eventually they did.

Wow that is bad lol. I don't know if I would have been able to keep a straight face lol... you should have said the stork bit lmao..

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Geez I ordered some Crele/isabelle orpington hatching eggs and the post office did a number on them. Thank god the breeder packaged so well even double boxing. The outer box was completely torn open and all the extras were broken. The air cells look really jiggly so not sure how many will hatch. Next year I'm using my own eggs!!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Geez I ordered some Crele/isabelle orpington hatching eggs and the post office did a number on them. Thank god the breeder packaged so well even double boxing. The outer box was completely torn open and all the extras were broken. The air cells look really jiggly so not sure how many will hatch. Next year I'm using my own eggs!!

That's so sad. A box, clearly marked "Handle with care" would be treated in such a way that it would look like that.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

That's so sad. A box, clearly marked "Handle with care" would be treated in such a way that it would look like that. 

Yeah it said live embryos on it and had this side up and handle with care all over it. I never used to het packages like this. Wondering if the post office has it out for me or something. Ever since I ordered the expensive eggs for my birthday all the boxes are turning up this way. So not right..

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Yeah it said live embryos on it and had this side up and handle with care all over it. I never used to het packages like this. Wondering if the post office has it out for me or something. Ever since I ordered the expensive eggs for my birthday all the boxes are turning up this way. So not right..

I think from listening to the girls, and the occaisonal guy here, a lot depends on where they are coming from too, like what hubs they go through. When Ruby sent my eggs, one corner had a little ding and that was it. A few wobbly air cells that firmed up and they were great. She sent eggs to both Ross and Blooie and they both had excellent experiences, but she and...I think it was Ravyn??? Sent eggs to each other, they both had problems. She and I are quite close, travel wisse, but Ross and Booie are worlds away...lol

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I think from listening to the girls, and the occaisonal guy here, a lot depends on where they are coming from too, like what hubs they go through. When Ruby sent my eggs, one corner had a little ding and that was it. A few wobbly air cells that firmed up and they were great. She sent eggs to both Ross and Blooie and they both had excellent experiences, but she and...I think it was Ravyn??? Sent eggs to each other, they both had problems. She and I are quite close, travel wisse, but Ross and Booie are worlds away...lol

It's funny you say that. I just ordered some eggs from ruby and they arrived in great condition and I'm in california! These other eggs came from Florida. I actually get alot of my eggs from Florida now that I think about it...

 

[n8ivetxn]

Yeah it said live embryos on it and had this side up and handle with care all over it. I never used to het packages like this. Wondering if the post office has it out for me or something. Ever since I ordered the expensive eggs for my birthday all the boxes are turning up this way. So not right..

Wow, that's awful... I just got Araucana eggs from Edd Sheppard / Awesome Araucanas, in Redding CA.... The box was in almost mint condition when it arrived and only one egg, out of 42, cracked...however, a few eggs look jiggly and a couple were detached. He did a good job of wrapping and boxing - I think!

Point being, it might be a PO outside of Cali....?

Wishing you a decent hatch rate

 

[SunHwaKwon]

It's funny you say that. I just ordered some eggs from ruby and they arrived in great condition and I'm in california! These other eggs came from Florida. I actually get alot of my eggs from Florida now that I think about it...

You are brave. I'm always scared to get eggs from more than 2 or 300 miles away. Then again, the two batches of eggs from two places REALLY close wetter the worst - one had every egg scrambled, the other had the box and eggs crushed.