January 2020 Hatch along

[FortCluck]

I will try to get pics of the chicks today to show everyone what we have.

I have to make my brooder box a bit bigger today at some point. We are just using two big cardboard boxes that are put together because I wanted to keep them in there for a couple weeks and then I will move them to the shed.

In the shed we have a corral type brooder that we use, but I wanted them to be a bit bigger before putting them out there.

 

[FortCluck]

Wow.. sounds like shipped eggs are just.. no good in that sense. Who really knows though. You never know how the previous owners even handled the eggs or care for their flock either. I'd still like to give shipped eggs a try some time. (Only because i cant find the breed locally) but i guess we will see. I do hope that your future with shipped eggs is a lot better than that though :\ I'd be really upset.

I know with my eggs they were local, but I think that how they were handled and stored really determines if they are going to hatch well or not.

The free eggs that I got, the person really didn't know how to handle them until I told them so I am sure that not everything I said was done. This resulted in over half of the eggs not even making it to lockdown and some of the chicks look like they are not even going to hatch even if they made it to lockdown.

I think from here on out I will just hatch from the organic farm and from my own flock. Even though I got a cleft eyelid and blind eye chick from the organic farm, I do not fault them for this and I really love the way their chicks look even the one that has the deformity.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I know with my eggs they were local, but I think that how they were handled and stored really determines if they are going to hatch well or not.

The free eggs that I got, the person really didn't know how to handle them until I told them so I am sure that not everything I said was done. This resulted in over half of the eggs not even making it to lockdown and some of the chicks look like they are not even going to hatch even if they made it to lockdown.

I think from here on out I will just hatch from the organic farm and from my own flock. Even though I got a cleft eyelid and blind eye chick from the organic farm, I do not fault them for this and I really love the way their chicks look even the one that has the deformity.

IMO, hatch enough and deformities happen...or just get an unlucky egg and it can happen sooner rather than later. A single incident would cause me to conclude that it's probably just an anomaly - a pattern would point to something different. With my visually-impaired drake, he was hatched from my own stock, proper nutrition (parents) and egg handling/storage, reliable good-quality incubator...but something inexplicably still affected his eye development. All hatchmates and every other duckling hatched from the same breeding pool were normal. He sired ducklings, himself...none ever had a similar eye problem. I admit that I initially blamed myself for his disability - I was new to incubating at that time - but with more experience, I've come to realize it was just "one of those things" for which I will likely never have a satisfactory explanation. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat - he's a very special drake who had such a zest for life as a duckling that not giving him a chance wasn't an option.

 

[jolenesdad]

Wow.. sounds like shipped eggs are just.. no good in that sense. Who really knows though. You never know how the previous owners even handled the eggs or care for their flock either. I'd still like to give shipped eggs a try some time. (Only because i cant find the breed locally) but i guess we will see. I do hope that your future with shipped eggs is a lot better than that though :\ I'd be really upset.

They can be excellent, though, too!

my mid summer shipped eggs were the worst. I had a lot of eggs that didn’t make it early on.

I, personally, think there is a higher percentage of late losses during incubation, but I feel they’re totally worth it for certain breeds or certain breeders.

my hatch earlier this month I ordered 24 marans eggs, and had 21 hatch!!!

 

[rascal66]

They can be excellent, though, too!

my mid summer shipped eggs were the worst. I had a lot of eggs that didn’t make it early on.

I, personally, think there is a higher percentage of late losses during incubation, but I feel they’re totally worth it for certain breeds or certain breeders.

my hatch earlier this month I ordered 24 marans eggs, and had 21 hatch!!!

In that case it really seems like a case-by-case thing then huh? Still wanna try hatching some shipped eggs eventually glad to know you had a good round before!

 

[Matilda Belle]

My eggs were chirping this morning!

 

[rascal66]

My eggs were chirping this morning!

So exciting! Always the best when you hear them chirp early on

 

[Matilda Belle]

So exciting! Always the best when you hear them chirp early on

I wonder if it will ever get old.

 

[FortCluck]

This is what you call "The Hatch Hangover"

 

[dougieee]

Ive just been really lazy and ordered half a dozen clack copper maran pullets, i wanted to hatch some myself but this way i figure i can drop my CCL boy in with them so i can hatch some crosses for olive eggers in spring without waiting for the Marans to mature.
My Buff Brahmas and Araucanas have just started trickling eggs now so its just olive eggers to complete the collection.