I Quit!!!!!

[joe17]

I quit buying and hatching shipped eggs!!!! Too many dissapointments...... I pay so much money on eggs to only have a couple hatch! I do my best and keep everything perfect(temp.,humidity, turning) and I still get a bad hatch rate. I dont think it is worth it anymore........

 

[Elite Silkies]

Are you talking about your Silkie eggs? That's a bummer, I know how excited you were to get them. Shipped eggs are hard to hatch. I usually have a very bad hatch rate with shipped eggs, but I did really well this time.

The thing that I did different, is that I added no water to the trays during the first 18 days, and then on the last 3 I of course increased the humidity. Worked really well for me. You might want to try it that way.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

It is hard and frustrating!


BUT - here is how I justify it. I want good/great stock and must buy from someone who has it - not a hatchery. So I spend $100 on a dozen eggs/shipping - my best hatch on a dozen shipped is 4 chicks (my worst 0 out of 10). So the chicks cost me $25.00 each.

Now if I purchased young adult birds instead of eggs - I would get a trio or quad and generally they would each be more than $25.00. THEN I have to pay to ship the bird - at minimum $65.00 if I do not have to buy a box - so say I get a quad, my birds are now costing me $41.00 each minimum (I include shipping in the cost of my birds) - plus I have to worry about shipping stress/injury.

 

[Elite Silkies]

I look at it that way too. If I get a couple of good silkies, then I'm happy with that. A good Silkie pullet/hen could cost you around $150-200 just for one after you get it shipped. My Lavender Orp Roo (the lonely surviver) cost me around $75.00, but they were going for much more than that when I got the eggs, so I got a pretty good deal.

Just depends on how you look at it.

 

[clothdiaperingmom]

I know exactly how you feel....though Im not buying expensive. Its still frustrating!!

The best hatch I had on shipped eggs was from Scott on here, black bantam cochins. Hatched 5/6 (though the other was as formed as the hatchers..just didnt hatch). Most of the time I dont get that many to hatch though!

 

[jen5680]

Maybe you could buy some eggs at a show or something that haven't been sent thru the mail.
Just try to see who a good breeder is that might be at a show you can get to and arrange to
pick them up.
I do feel your fustration!! I never had very good luck with shipped eggs either but now that mine
are laying I have great hatch rates and I totally agree about the cost and all that the others posted
as far as eggs verses birds.

 

[joe17]

That is true, you still save a lot of money buying hatching eggs. Its not really the money that matters to me, its the disappointment of knowing you did everything right, but you dont get anything to show for it. Yesterday was the hatch day for my 2 dozen of shipped silkie eggs. I got one really nice one, vaulted skull and all! Today I had to help one out, I dont know if its gonna survive either. I have one more that JUST pipped. I sure hope I get 2 HEALTHY chicks!

 

[Elite Silkies]

Joe, what is your humidity? I hatch them out at 70-73% humidity the last 3 days. If you have opened the bator, then it has drawn the humidity out of the eggs. It could take a couple of extra days for them to hatch. Once pipped, it can take up to 24 hours to zip.

 

[joe17]

My humidity is 70% right now. The little one I helped is doing pretty good now.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Humidity is good. I'll keep my

crossed that they all start pipping!