hatching blues...

[Christie Rhae]

I am a bazillion miles away from anyone who sells eggs of the two breeds that I want to have. I know hatching shipped eggs is bummer just waiting to happen and adding the miles to get to Hawaii is even worse. So I started my hatching adventures knowing it was gonna be a long uphill battle.
But....sigh... I am feeling low.
My first hatch produced one awesome lil chick that we love.

I just moved some eggs to my hatcher. This batch started out at 16. I moved only 3 to the hatcher. I am not super confident even in those 3. They are the only ones that I knew for sure did not have 18 day old chicks in them.

I got a box of eggs today that have some crazy air cells.. sigh...again. I know enough now to know that those crazy air cells have small chances of producing chicks.

I know I signed on for this with my eyes open. Shipping is hell on eggs. Still a little discouraging.

I do have a batch of eggs that are due in 8 days that had the best aircells and actually look like they are right on schedule. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I also have more eggs arriving tomorrow. I guess I am just feeling a little blue tonight.... hatching blues...

Back in my naive days when I was ordering my incubator (2 months ago) I imagined that 12 eggs would produce 12 chicks... sigh... so young.. so naive. lol

 

[Arielle]

We can feel blue together. Sorry to hear that the hatching rate on the shipped eggs is so low; I would feel bummed, too! It is a great way to get the birds you want/need if you can endure the heartache. Hang in there--tomorrow you will feel more optimistic, especially when the next batch arrives!!

I've often wondered about changing the shipping box to a hatching box. Pretend there are chicks in there. (NOt my idea.) Based on how nicely our chicks are handled at the PO, I'm betting the eggs would get gentle handling. WHo's to know they are not cheeping when hatching boxes seem to arrive in stacks at our district distribution center.

I was turning the eggs a few minutes ago, and as one started to slip out of my hands I caught it quickly, and crushed it!

Here's to a better day tomorrow!!

 

[anaiyuk]

I'm right there with you! Got four eggs in the mail and they had detached air cells. They were also covered in smoke. Now I have one that is growing! I ordered more eggs, this time twelve and the arrived crushed, literally! They were put in the box side ways with nothin but an egg carton to protect them! Not even bubble wrap! They were oozing and smelly!!! This was after taking a break because i had some in the inc. this spring and had inc. issues! The thing is, we can't give up! once we succeed there will be stock for the rest of our lives and probably to others in our remote areas.... The only difference is that you will be warm while I'm in an Igloo

That's a pretty good thought Arielle! Oh, i missed the part about crushing it! I'm so sorry! i did that once too, I cried!

 

[CapricornFarm]

It gets better. None of the first few batches of shipped eggs hatched for me. But I am learning as I go along. So now I actually get some that hatch. Not as well as my own eggs not shipped, but at least I have some chicks to show for it.

 

[Christie Rhae]

I know I will feel better tomorrow. Maybe it is just a mother thing.. .you put all the work in.. you want babies to show for it.
I am just gonna keep on trying. But it does get disheartening once in awhile.

Crushed the egg! oh so sad! A few weeks ago I opened an egg I thought was a quitter..to find a live 10 day old embryo.. I cried too.

I just feel bad for all those chicks that could have been that I am gonna have to go through just to get a few to start my flock with.

Guess I am not the first one.

 

[Flawedatdesign]

I know the feeling I have incubated 48 eggs and have hatched only 3 that survived. I'm doing the DIY incubator and found poart of my problem I think. I'm constructing my new one as we speak. hoping to correct previous mistakes and have a better hatch rate.

 

[Time-Out]

Awww it's such a struggle to get any return for the love, money, effort and worry we pour into these eggs. I too thought 12 eggs = 12 chicks. I guess I'm kinda lucky, though, because I got four gorgeous (albeit annoyingly noisey at 6am!) little chicks to show for my lack of sleep. I'm just glad I bought this incubator instead of one of those better quality, higher-tech, smaller ones, that only fit 6 or 10 eggs in at a time. At least now, I know to order 60 eggs so I can get the 12 chicks!

Just think... if you hatched all the birds you wanted first time, then you'd get the hatching blues cos there's nothing for you to hatch anymore!

ETA: brain thinks one word... fingers type another!