How many should I set?

[Knittycat]

What kind of losses should I expect when I hatch. If I only want 8 chickens, how many eggs should I incubate, and how many should I expect to die in chickhood (admitedly, I over bought chicks two years ago, expecting two or so to die, and they all lived.)
I understand shipped eggs are expected to have at least a 50% mortality rate, so 16 to get 8 chickens? But then I have to account for the 50% chance of roosters (I only want one), so 32? 32 eggs for 8 surviving chickens? That seems high. Am I figuring right?

 

[qtmomo112]

i set 25 eggs, 22 days ago. I removed 7 that were infertile (b/c the farm is free range) and 5 that died before day 15. leaving me with 13 and i have 9 chicks in the brooder this morning with another pipped and another chirping away in the egg. Hopefully this helps you figure out how many eggs you want to get. But remember all odds are different.

 

[Knittycat]

Were your eggs shipped?

 

[qtmomo112]

No they came from a local farm.

 

[Knittycat]

Hmmm. So maybe 32 isn't a crazy amount to get 8 keepers.

 

[qtmomo112]

i would agree cause you'll have to figure on roos that you dont want to keep.

 

[Knittycat]

Just watch, I'll be "lucky" and all 32 will hatch and thrive, but they'll all be roosters! and I'll have to offload them on Craigs List.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Shipped eggs are so hit or miss it's impossible to say what to expect. I've tried shipped eggs three times. I've come to the conclusion that my regional mail system is horrid. Where I get well over 80% to hatch from my own eggs I get 25% hatching from shipped. Though you read of people getting 90% hatching from shipped eggs so it's ultimately the mail system, all mine were perfectly packaged, so up the east coast is damaging to egg success. This spring I'll try eggs shipped from central US with hopes they fair better. Your not going to know until you try. If you ordered two dozen and get a few extra thrown in it'd be a good try at it. Hopefully your worst case scenario will be having to choose the best pullets and rooster to keep.

 

[Pancholoco]

Shipped eggs are a play I bought 27 eggs from a board member shipped from Iowa to CA and ended with 8 chicks and now I have only 3 of them. Too risky for me, I expended 82 dollars for only 8 chicks that's s^&#$

 

[Knittycat]

heh. For some reason I've got a 'good feeling' about this. So hopefully it will pan out and I'll get a decent hatch. Good news though, one of the people I'm considering buying eggs from lives nearish to me and I can pick them up. So my olive eggers ought to have a good hatch!