May 2020 Hatch-A-Long

[kelseyk]

Have you had good luck selling straight run? I feel like all the people clambering to get chicks right now are only looking for layers, but could be wrong. Depending on how many chicks I get out of this hatch, I have a friend who may buy some of mine - but he can't have a roo in the city.

I *gave* a dozen fertile eggs to some lady on a FB group who couldn't find chicks mid-March. She was most ungrateful, rescheduled coming to get them several times and then last minute wanted me to meet her 15 miles away so she didn't have to drive as far. Won't make that mistake again!

That is very ungrateful of her!

I had hatched out Copper Marans, Silver Appenzellers, Bielefelders, and Sapphire Gem/Lavender Orpington crosses (only wanted 2 pullets each out of all except the Appenzellers plus a Bielefelder cockerel). Hoping to sell the rest of them. If I have any CM pullets left, my neighbor will take them. I'm hoping that people will still be wanting chicks by the time I am able to determine gender on the CM's and the Gem crosses.

 

[BertyRoux]

I only sell straight run chicks. I had some pullets that I sold that I wanted to keep for myself, but I sold them to a very nice family.

I think that I might grow out 12 of the marans. I'm going to try to vent sex them because I vent sex ducklings so it's not much different but I doubt I'll be too accurate.

Interesting! I'll be curious to see how that goes. I had considered selling him a pair of my yearlings (the skittish ones who aren't my favorite!), but he wants his teenagers to learn chicken raising from chick to stew pot. If the timing works out I think he'd prefer to buy mine, but if not hopefully he can find some at one of the farm stores.

Our new TSC is almost completed and I'm SO ridiculously excited. No more driving out of town just to get food for the farm!

 

[BertyRoux]

That is very ungrateful of her!

I had hatched out Copper Marans, Silver Appenzellers, Bielefelders, and Sapphire Gem/Lavender Orpington crosses (only wanted 2 pullets each out of all except the Appenzellers plus a Bielefelder cockerel). Hoping to sell the rest of them. If I have any CM pullets left, my neighbor will take them. I'm hoping that people will still be wanting chicks by the time I am able to determine gender on the CM's and the Gem crosses.

I think she was honestly just a bit clueless, and had no idea how much hatching eggs normally go for. I told her she could have them for free IF she came to get them. I gave away 9 dozen eggs to hungry people last month, not including her, and every single one of them was super kind and grateful. Several of them even brought me veggie starts in exchange.

Last year, I gave my 7 Hatchers to our neighbor because I couldn't find any buyers. Funny how things have changed this year!

 

[CindyinSD]

I think she was honestly just a bit clueless, and had no idea how much hatching eggs normally go for. I told her she could have them for free IF she came to get them. I gave away 9 dozen eggs to hungry people last month, not including her, and every single one of them was super kind and grateful. Several of them even brought me veggie starts in exchange.

Last year, I gave my 7 Hatchers to our neighbor because I couldn't find any buyers. Funny how things have changed this year!

I used to put up with that sort of thing from people (not with birds back then, but same kind of behavior). It does them no favor to hold your tongue, be polite, and privately wrestle with the resentment that is only natural. If I had it to do again, I would politely explain what was what, the value of what I had proposed to give them for free, and that as they didn't care to live up to what they had agreed to (coming to fetch them), no hard feelings, but I couldn't go through with the thing. Period, done, end of story.

 

[BertyRoux]

I used to put up with that sort of thing from people (not with birds back then, but same kind of behavior). It does them no favor to hold your tongue, be polite, and privately wrestle with the resentment that is only natural. If I had it to do again, I would politely explain what was what, the value of what I had proposed to give them for free, and that as they didn't care to live up to what they had agreed to (coming to fetch them), no hard feelings, but I couldn't go through with the thing. Period, done, end of story.

I very nearly did retract my offer, after the second reschedule, and I'd have been mighty put out if I wasn't home all day anyway. Next time I have someone who wants eggs to hatch, they can pay AND come get them!

I wonder if she managed to hatch any of those eggs. Probably a big batch of cockerels!

 

[kelseyk]

I think she was honestly just a bit clueless, and had no idea how much hatching eggs normally go for. I told her she could have them for free IF she came to get them. I gave away 9 dozen eggs to hungry people last month, not including her, and every single one of them was super kind and grateful. Several of them even brought me veggie starts in exchange.

Last year, I gave my 7 Hatchers to our neighbor because I couldn't find any buyers. Funny how things have changed this year!

I have had to deal with stuff like that trying to sell farm fresh eating eggs to someone here. It started out as a great deal... they wanted 3 dozen eggs every 2 weeks. Then it became, "I need 4 dozen this week and I need them tomorrow" or "I am going to be out of town tomorrow so will not be able to meet you to take delivery of the eggs like we had planned, can you bring them by the next day" or "can you bring me 6 dozen eggs because I am going to take them to this other town and sell them there", or "I only have enough cash to pay for 2 dozen eggs because I didn't make it to the bank. Can you come back tomorrow and pick up the rest of the money.", etc. (I live 30 minutes from town, where this person happens to live and try as hard as I can to make as few trips as possible into town. So when I make plans to go to town, usually based on when the kids have something going on for school or sports, I can't just up and reschedule like that. And they just didn't understand that at all.) We have also had to deal with things like this selling bottle calves. Drives me nuts!

 

[kelseyk]

Candled the 7 Svart Hona Eggs (day 7) and pulled 1 blood ring and 2 clears. Candled the 12 Gold Appenzeller eggs (day 4) and all of them are growing! One of those had a pretty decent crack/chip in the pointy end of the egg. I waxed it and have it incubating upright in my Janoel. Really impressed as those were shipped eggs! Set 7 Gold Neck D'Uccle eggs. Not as impressed with them as they were pretty dirty compared to all the other eggs I have bought. Hoping the Hydrogen Peroxide killed the bacteria/germs/etc that was on them when I sprayed them. Guess we will see. Also got the notice that my OE eggs shipped today...so should hopefully be able to set those Friday or Saturday.

 

[Vantic]

I very nearly did retract my offer, after the second reschedule, and I'd have been mighty put out if I wasn't home all day anyway. Next time I have someone who wants eggs to hatch, they can pay AND come get them!

I wonder if she managed to hatch any of those eggs. Probably a big batch of cockerels!

She deserved nothing less than a batch of young lads.

 

[BertyRoux]

I have had to deal with stuff like that trying to sell farm fresh eating eggs to someone here. It started out as a great deal... they wanted 3 dozen eggs every 2 weeks. Then it became, "I need 4 dozen this week and I need them tomorrow" or "I am going to be out of town tomorrow so will not be able to meet you to take delivery of the eggs like we had planned, can you bring them by the next day" or "can you bring me 6 dozen eggs because I am going to take them to this other town and sell them there", or "I only have enough cash to pay for 2 dozen eggs because I didn't make it to the bank. Can you come back tomorrow and pick up the rest of the money.", etc. (I live 30 minutes from town, where this person happens to live and try as hard as I can to make as few trips as possible into town. So when I make plans to go to town, usually based on when the kids have something going on for school or sports, I can't just up and reschedule like that. And they just didn't understand that at all.) We have also had to deal with things like this selling bottle calves. Drives me nuts!

See, that's my worry with getting into selling eggs. Right now I just have one nice lady (who contacted me, I'd never advertised) that buys 3 dozen from me every couple weeks, and I just give away what I can't use if I have leftovers. That one customer pays for a few weeks of feed and I'm happy with it. Although with the number of local posts asking for egg sellers each week here...there must be a good market, especially if I delivered.

She deserved nothing less than a batch of young lads.

Truthfully, I do hope she managed to hatch a few! Part of the reason I didn't charge her anything was I hadn't confirmed fertility myself yet this year... Didn't want her to pay for a batch of duds. Now that I know my own batch was at least 11/12 fertile for this hatch, I'd be more comfortable charging.

 

[Vantic]

Truthfully, I do hope she managed to hatch a few! Part of the reason I didn't charge her anything was I hadn't confirmed fertility myself yet this year... Didn't want her to pay for a batch of duds. Now that I know my own batch was at least 11/12 fertile for this hatch, I'd be more comfortable charging.

I get that, I plan to sell hatching eggs next year. The plan will be to test incubate before I start advertising. I feel we owe that to the customer.

Happy Hatching