I work in an Extension office and the 4-H secretary just called me. Seems a grandmother just bought an incubator for her 9-year old granddaughter for Christmas and wanted to know where they could get eggs. I'm supposed to get back to this lady since I'm now the unofficial chicken person around here. I could point her in the McMurray or Ideal direction. The local Southern States is out - I know that. I just have a problem simply answering her question because I know there's much more involved than throwing a few eggs into the thing and reading some directions. How can I tactfully convey that to this lady? I don't want to overwhelm her or step on toes but at the same time I want them to realize what all's involved. Apparently she's all excited about this gift for this kid. Part of me wants to say, "if you were gonna be this stoked over this gift...why in the name of pete didn't you do your HOMEWORK on it???"
Maybe she did do her homework and only needs to find eggs. Perhaps you could recommend a good brginners book to go with the incubator and a gift certificate to the hatchery so the child can shop for her own breeds.
Hatching eggs isnt rocket science. All of us started somewhere, some of us with a good idea of what we were doing (not me) and some with not a clue and just barging forward (me). Find her some eggs, let her put them in the incubator, and enjoy the experience. Either they hatch, or they dont. If they do, thats great! If they dont, they'll either give up, or try to learn more for the next hatch. If they're willing for a little help, give them a few pointers. But give them the chance to try, if they are wanting to.
Wish she was my grandmother. Do mom and dad know about this gift? Or is this something the kid saw on an episode of i-Carley? We saw that episode....my 7yo kept saying "It's not as easy as they pretend on TV...what are people who live in an appartment going to do with the chicks after they hatch?" If they are serious about the long term commitment I'd tell her to start looking for people in her neighborhood who sell fresh eggs that are probably fertile if they are willing to risk muts or pick breed and order closer to spring. There are a lot of people who got started because we were foolish enough to come home from hardware store with cute little fluff balls we had no business buying because we really knew nothing we should have. Get grandma and parents online for a crash course, reccomend a good book, that's the best you can probably offer.
And when all else fails sign her up for BYC. This is the most informative place. Lots of experience with trial and error here.
