Mahonri's 3rd Annual, BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[sbarab]

I've been collecting eggs for the bator! Can't wait to get them started.

Before then I'm going to be pulling the bator out of the garage and making sure it is working A-OK.

 

[buckabucka]

My Emu eggs came in the mail today!!!
Oh My Goodness! The eggs are huge!
The tan egg in the middle is one of the 12 LF Buff Orpington eggs from Hinkjc that came in the mail today also.
That is a Quarter in front of the eggs.

Great photo! You need to draw a face on that buff orpington egg and add a clever caption. It looks like egg art material to me!

 

[ruth]

I have been wondering about this myself. The eggs I incubate from out of state often arrive in better shape that the ones from within the state. I may start ordering eggs from California and Alaska regularly! I shipped a friend in Massachusetts 19 eggs a few weeks ago. 17 made it to lockdown and 16 hatched! He was VERY happy, needless to say.

Temps here are wacking out my smaller incubator too, though the larger one has stayed steady. I suppose because the bigger one is in the center of the house while the smaller one is in the bedroom where the temp tends to fluctuate more. I got up 4 or 5 times last night to check it. It was 80 outside today and I TURNED THE A/C ON FOR THE INCUBATOR! I am a person that generally wears a sweater/jacket year round in the house and tries to avoid turning the a/c on before June if I can get away with it. My husband is always trying to get me to turn on the a/c in the Spring as he is very hot natured. Today when he noticed the a/c was running he just shook his head, kept his mouth shut (he's such a smart man), and headed over to the shop.

That's because the P.O. uses Fed Ex to fly the packages (eggs or chicks) to the states farther away but they (P.O.) drive the packages to addresses within the state or bordering states. I recently shipped some live chicks. Two packages the same day. Our P.O. truck leaves here at 4:00 p.m. The first package arrived in PA by 6:00 a.m. the next day. The second package, which was only going 1 1/2 hr away, arrived two days later in the late afternoon. Thank God they were all still alive. I try and tell those ordering chicks from me that it's better if they come and pick them up if they live within a few hours drive.

So if you're shipping eggs and the P.O. handles them the whole way (meaning they are relatively local) you never know what kind of shape they'll be in when they arrive at their final destination. And the P.O. postmaster personally told me that writing "Fragile - live embryos - hatching eggs - please do not expose to heat or freeze" is doing absolutely "nothing" to ensure special handling - which does not exist. He said everything is handled the same way - goes down conveyor belts, dumped into huge bins, and everything dumped on top including boxes of book or bricks. And, if you bothered to insure the eggs, the P.O. wants the broken eggs all shipped back, has one year to review the claim, and then will only refund the postage.


Just some F.Y.I. from someone who's been there, done that, for four years now.

 

[NotAFarm]

YAY!!! I'm all caught up! And before DH gets home. He's been complaining that BYC is "stealing" me away from him. I blame all you Easter hatch folks. heeheehee

This is SO my DH!

He says that I am "addicted to the internet BYC" and have been ignoring him........plllleeeease...I talk to him constantly.......I tell him everything that is happening ....Kathy's emu...Michelle's moose...SCG's woodchick...CR's broody Phoenie hen that looks alot like my Kleo(patra) Icelandic...Kim's arm...Mahonri's burn....baby goats....ducklings....chicks....calves...pea chicks....turkeys...weather reports from around the country...I mean I just don't know what the problem is........I tell him that I am "absorbed" in the Hatchalong right now but I won't be spending as much time on here once the hatch is over.....

......because I'll be taking care of ALL the chicks I'm going to be hatching!!

Which gets me the

look.......but I love him and he loves me so I have my chickens and he....well, he has me and my chickens!!

 

[wolftracks]

Hey Mahonri - just had to pop in and thank you for all of the egg orders you generated for me. I stayed up till 1:30 a.m. Sunday night wrapping eggs to ship on Monday just so everyone that ordered from me could have them in plenty of time for setting on the 17th. Sure didn't want them to get hung up at the P.O. somewhere and not arrive in time. I had several hundred dollars worth of egg orders for all different breeds from people who all wanted them for your Easter Hatch Along - so thank you, thank you. And to all who ordered from me - blessings on a great Easter Hatch. Your eggs were all freshly gathered before shipping and you can easily let them set to incubate on the 17th. When I'm setting my own eggs I often let them accumulate for 3 weeks and they still hatch. I keep them stored large end up in a cool environment. I know a read a couple of posts by people worried they got their eggs a day or two too soon so thought I'd pop in with my personal experience that eggs can sit for a loooonnnggg time and still hatch. Just ask the broodies that show up around here with 20 babies in tow from eggs they've been laying for over 3 weeks in a hidden nest somewhere. I've even read where people have taken commercially cleaned, frigerated, store-bought eggs and incubated them and had them hatch. So my words of encouragement to everyone in this hatch-a-long is to wait and set them and join the fun. I think I'll stick a few dozen in the bator myself.

Thanks again Mahonri - you generated a lot of business for me.

I was one of those, but the more I think about it. When my husband was alive we had to let eggs sit for 5 days. One bator at the house at that time and we needed to lockdown. The eggs that sat hatched out at 80%. I was sitting here looking at these eggs and though, geez the trip might have shaken them, maybe sitting longer would be better. I've tossed in a couple of month+ old eggs before from my birds and they hatched, so I'm going to stop stressing. Besides, I'm known to hatch horrible hatches when I do the hatch alongs. Why break tradition? LOL

 

[LarryPQ]

Totally. I listen (and can repeat back) all the ridiciously boring things he chatters on about. He should care what's happening to my internet friends.

In other news, my phone charged enough to take a few pics.

Duck 1.



Duck 2



Runner ducks dont need WATER-water, Right? Like a kiddie pool or a big trough might be enough to splash around in?

 

[ronott1]

My EO Marandu Basque eggs are on their way. They are scheduled to be delivered from Tn to CA, so should go fedex to Sacramento Airport and then 12 miles to Woodland.

Pray that they make it ok and on time

Ron

 

[wolftracks]

Totally. I listen (and can repeat back) all the ridiciously boring things he chatters on about. He should care what's happening to my internet friends.
In other news, my phone charged enough to take a few pics.
Duck 1.

Duck 2

Runner ducks dont need WATER-water, Right? Like a kiddie pool or a big trough might be enough to splash around

OMG! OMG! OMG! Oh I love duckies!!


Ron, you mean you get them straight from Sac and they don't go through the Stockton hub? I really think Stockton is my egg smashing check point.

 

[ChooksChick]

Mind? I think I will go out of my mind.

I have been following "What's wrong with their feathers?" for over a year! LOVE IT!!!!!!

Thank you!!!!!!!

ETA - Have I told you all just how AWESOME Renee is yet today?

Whew...I had noticed your posts on there occasionally and figured you'd be okay with it.

I have turkey eggs, or I will have as soon as I quit slipping them in the bator

I wonder if the plane ride FROM Alaska is a gentle as the one TO Alaska?

I think we're going to have a big TURKEY hatchalong right after this one! I know of at least 4 who are willing to join, and I'm hoping there will be more! I'll get some from you for that, so think of me around Easter for turkey eggs!!

I have been wondering about this myself. The eggs I incubate from out of state often arrive in better shape that the ones from within the state. I may start ordering eggs from California and Alaska regularly! I shipped a friend in Massachusetts 19 eggs a few weeks ago. 17 made it to lockdown and 16 hatched! He was VERY happy, needless to say.

I live a half hour of flat interstate from the MidContinent airport in KC. I take my boxes straight to the back door of the PO when the 6:00pm truck is there to pick up packages to go to the airport. I load them on a cart and they go in and right to the hub. The closer a recipient is to a big airport, the less travel the eggs actually have to do before they get to the local PO. That's the best- if they're close, too!

 

[1muttsfan]

~~1muttsfan is a suck up! 1muttsfan is a suck up!~~
Okay, I'll stop chanting now. And I'm just being silly, anyway - not intending any offense.
With all the incubators - 3 Mini and 3 9ctagon 20 Advance EX units, to boot - I have purchased from Brinsea, one would think a freebie might have been tossed my way at least once. Oh, wait, I did get a free cover for the humidity well for a MiniAdvance....
It was Pasqual who corresponded with me about an issue, for a short time.
I just love Brinsea.
And 1muttsfan, you're not a suck up. I was just letting my inner child out for a moment. It's been a real adult and tense day at work today. I really think your e-mail to Brinsea was great!

If I can't take a joke I don't belong here with you guys!