Is there a hatchers anonymous? Newbie in need of a head check!

[amagoun]

Ok, so we moved to our 13 acres in December and I wanted to get a few chickens, like maybe 6 hens. I waited patiently for February to roll around before I started looking. I started checking the internet and found all the hatching eggs for sale on ebay. So I bid on a few, after all I wanted a little variety. I bid on 12+ Golden Comets, 12+ Barred Rocks and 10+ mixed lot. (I bid on few others too but fortunately was outbid.) What I ended up with was 52 eggs! That's okay since they were sent through the mail I figured I'd lose a lot of them. I ran out and got my 9200 when I started winning the auctions.

Two boxes arrived last Wed. and one arrived on Friday. No broken eggs. The first two batches went in late Wed. and the last about midday Friday. I put together a candler and since I was turning them by hand I couldn't resist checking a few out, almost every day. I was very excited when I started seeing signs of development. Yesterday I candled all the eggs and took out 3 clears and a rotten one. So 29 of the 8 day eggs are developing, and today I looked at a few of the 6 day eggs and many of them are on their way too. Do you think I'll get 6 hens out of this???

Even my dogs think I've lost it because I spend so much time looking at that white box on the table. My husband knows I'm nuts but he's been traveling this week. Just wait until I show him one of the chicks doing a jig inside it's egg. I was totally in awe!

I started looking at more eggs on ebay yesterday and had to smack myself upside the head. Is there any hope for me?

 

[turnerstar31]

no and i would suggest not to candle them to much. I usually only candle on day 7 and sometimes on day 12 and them when i take them out of the turner on day 18.
Good luck with your eggs and post pics when they hatch.

 

[skeeter9]

You are definitely sunk!!! The only advice I can give you is to build several large coops and just let your addiction run wild - well, at least to a certain point. The way things have been going for several of us on here, you may have trouble getting 6 pullets out of all those chicks!! LOL!! Seems all we can manage to hatch out is cockerels!!

Anyway, there's no point in fighting the addiction to hatching, you'll only cave in the end, so you might as well enjoy it and enjoy this forum and all of the hopeless, hatchaholic enablers!!!

Lori

 

[LoneCowboy]

You'll be fine... Until you see those beautiful blue chicks of Speckledhen and BamaChicken and others. Oh, don't forget those beautiful dark dark brown eggs of Mother Goose's Welsummers. Oh, and that great price on Buff orpington eggs from Hazelton Farms and and and and.... Oh well, nope you're toast, sorry.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Sounds like you'll fit in here, welcome to BYC!

 

[RepoBob]

I don't understand, What's the problem.
Soon you'll be buying another bator, the you'll be building brooders, then more coops.... ain't it great

 

[Kanchii]

Welcome to the dark side! We've got cookies!

 

[ncgnance]

As I said before, this is a sickness, and there is really no cure. When you get the cure, which is more eggs, chicks, etc., you crave more. I'm a reasonable, smart(?) 62 year old grandma. And, now, as we speak, I have 2 viable eggs in the bator, with an order of 27 more due on the day these hatch. Well, I can't let them be loners, can I? I took the other only child from another hatch home last week. That's another thing.. I'm away from home, working a job that will soon be a 6 day a week, 12 hour a day job. When am I gonna find time to take care of biddies... Don't matter, the sickness has me, and must be fed....

 

[amagoun]

Thanks guys. I feel like I've learned the secret knock that opens the door to the netherworld. The next two weeks are going to kill me.

 

[Henrietta23]

Nope, not a chance of hope and you've definitely found the right place!! Welcome