Shipped eggs and I'm sad

[HeatherKellyB]

Also, are you certain it's a cockerel? Please know that I'm not assuming you don't know anything about this, but I had 3 to hatch. Once they were dry and fluffy, I had my friend here on BYC's to help me and we both decided that I had 2 cockerels and a pullet. One of the cockerels died very early on, so that left me with a pair, "Luna Petunia and Freddy". Months later I noticed that something was up with Freddy, so I made a thread about him. Turns out Freddy is a pullet that very much looked like a cockerel to not only one but two people, one of them, my friend, being a very experienced and knowledgeable hatcher. She even pulled up the chick pics and others immediately said to not breed her because of this. Of course this isn't the case often, but I figured I'd throw it out there just in case.

 

[junior67]

I kind of want to cry..
I know shipped eggs are a gamble but of the 6 Legbar eggs I had shipped to me only 1 hatched and it's a Male!
Then with it I had ordered what was supposed to be Maran x Legbar Olive Eggers. But they sent me the wrong eggs and its Rhodebar of the 5 eggs 2 hatched and it's 1 boy 1 girl I just need to figure out which is which.
One amazing thing about this hatch was 1 of the Rhodebar eggs was cracked and I sealed it with beeswax and it Hatched!

Good with the bad of hatching but I really wanted Legbars

It is heart breaking! I was hoping to get a splash Cochin. I have a blue roo and hen so tried 2x to hatch their eggs with no luck since their fluffy butts prevented fertility. So I trimmed buff fluff and started to collect eggs to try one more time before I had to wait a few weeks since I had chicks that would be in the brooder that would be too old to mix new ones with. Well I got 2 eggs and the day my hen laid the 3rd she went broody so stopped laying. So I bought blue to splash Cochin eggs on ebay. got them and 4/12 were broken. gave 4 to my broody with 2 of her own eggs and set 4 shipped in the incubator with 1 of my own eggs. 3 in the incubator (2 shipped and my broodies egg) started to grow and 2 never did anything.... around day 5-6 one shipped quit, then around day 10 my girls egg quit so had 1 shipped left....... under my broody her 2 were infertile, 2 shipped never did anything and 2 shipped were growing. One hatched and one pipped internally but never externally pipped and died. my incubator one hatched and 1 under my broody hatched. I didn't even notice since I was so excited but posted to ask about the colors since the dark one under her had brown on its face which it shouldn't have...... well it didn't have feathers on the feet so not even a cochin!!!! Then the one that hatched in the incubator was all yellow with no signs of being a splash. It does have feathers on the feet but not sure it is a cochin... I am so upset that I paid for and bought eggs that were NOT the breed that I should have gotten and then to only have 2 hatch out of 12. I didn't expect a huge hatch % since they were shipped but was hoping for at least 4/12.

 

[MandaRae]

Who did you order from?

Papa's Poultry

 

[MandaRae]

Seems like I did find a breeder in NC but this was after I finally hatched some. I can't make any promises but I'll look and try to figure out the breeder info and send it to you. I know you're probably so frustrated and pretty close to being over it after so much effort, but coming from NC isn't that far. Depending on the price, it might be worth it to try. Just let me know if you want me to look into it

Thank you I would appreciate the info even if maybe I decided tontry again next spring.

 

[MandaRae]

Also, are you certain it's a cockerel? Please know that I'm not assuming you don't know anything about this, but I had 3 to hatch. Once they were dry and fluffy, I had my friend here on BYC's to help me and we both decided that I had 2 cockerels and a pullet. One of the cockerels died very early on, so that left me with a pair, "Luna Petunia and Freddy". Months later I noticed that something was up with Freddy, so I made a thread about him. Turns out Freddy is a pullet that very much looked like a cockerel to not only one but two people, one of them, my friend, being a very experienced and knowledgeable hatcher. She even pulled up the chick pics and others immediately said to not breed her because of this. Of course this isn't the case often, but I figured I'd throw it out there just in case.

So my first thought is Cockerel and I posted in a few legbar groups and it's actually been a mixed guess some say poor markings pullet otherwise say cockerel I guess time will tell. This is the chick in question.

 

[MandaRae]

It is heart breaking! I was hoping to get a splash Cochin. I have a blue roo and hen so tried 2x to hatch their eggs with no luck since their fluffy butts prevented fertility. So I trimmed buff fluff and started to collect eggs to try one more time before I had to wait a few weeks since I had chicks that would be in the brooder that would be too old to mix new ones with. Well I got 2 eggs and the day my hen laid the 3rd she went broody so stopped laying. So I bought blue to splash Cochin eggs on ebay. got them and 4/12 were broken. gave 4 to my broody with 2 of her own eggs and set 4 shipped in the incubator with 1 of my own eggs. 3 in the incubator (2 shipped and my broodies egg) started to grow and 2 never did anything.... around day 5-6 one shipped quit, then around day 10 my girls egg quit so had 1 shipped left....... under my broody her 2 were infertile, 2 shipped never did anything and 2 shipped were growing. One hatched and one pipped internally but never externally pipped and died. my incubator one hatched and 1 under my broody hatched. I didn't even notice since I was so excited but posted to ask about the colors since the dark one under her had brown on its face which it shouldn't have...... well it didn't have feathers on the feet so not even a cochin!!!! Then the one that hatched in the incubator was all yellow with no signs of being a splash. It does have feathers on the feet but not sure it is a cochin... I am so upset that I paid for and bought eggs that were NOT the breed that I should have gotten and then to only have 2 hatch out of 12. I didn't expect a huge hatch % since they were shipped but was hoping for at least 4/12.

It is a sad and sometimes expensive gamble. Good thing we love these stinking birds lol
Now when I hatch from my own flock I get a great hatch rate! Last year hen I first got the N360 I set 22 eggs thinking I'd get half...21 hatched

 

[HeatherKellyB]

That is a tricky chick! I'll tag a couple of amazing friends that are really good at this type of thing @Overo Mare @MGG
MGG knows all about my Freddy and how her markings led us to a different conclusion
If your chick is a pullet, I wouldn't breed her because of the markings at hatch. As you know, this breed is supposed to be easily sexed at hatch. Introducing birds that aren't clear at hatch will put an end to that amazing trait (or at least that's what I was told). I still really hope it's a pullet. I probably don't have pictures of Freddy as a chick but I'll take a quick look and see if I have them handy

I'll look for the breeder info. If you haven't received a private conversation from me by about 2 weeks, please message me to help remind me

 

[junior67]

It is a sad and sometimes expensive gamble. Good thing we love these stinking birds lol
Now when I hatch from my own flock I get a great hatch rate! Last year hen I first got the N360 I set 22 eggs thinking I'd get half...21 hatched

I think once I figure out the fluffy butts I will do well with hatching from my own. But Mr Fluffy butt has some issues with fertilizing eggs with all that fluff. hahaa! I had JUST trimmed the fluff on them about a week maybe just under before my hen went broody (only trying to hatch her eggs for the splash color since I am running out of space and REALLY want a splash and can't find any around here) so I don't think the "new" eggs from the butt trimmings had started until she went broody! so I only had that 1 fertilized egg to try with. I will try again (depending on what these 2 turn out like and if I keep them or not since I only have the 2 spots "open" in my coop) once my broody starts laying again and I do a bit more trimming. But I will say I will NOT order eggs from ebay ever again. I understood the poor hatch but to send the wrong eggs was my big thing!

 

[MandaRae]

That is a tricky chick! I'll tag a couple of amazing friends that are really good at this type of thing @Overo Mare @MGG
MGG knows all about my Freddy and how her markings led us to a different conclusion
If your chick is a pullet, I wouldn't breed her because of the markings at hatch. As you know, this breed is supposed to be easily sexed at hatch. Introducing birds that aren't clear at hatch will put an end to that amazing trait (or at least that's what I was told). I still really hope it's a pullet. I probably don't have pictures of Freddy as a chick but I'll take a quick look and see if I have them handy

I'll look for the breeder info. If you haven't received a private conversation from me by about 2 weeks, please message me to help remind me

I breed for egg color and personal flock so if a she will just go in with the layers. I don't breed for showbirds or anything like that....yet

 

[MandaRae]

The Breeder just got back to me and he thinks it's a pullet so my hopes have been restored
I'm only slightly bummed now that 1 out of 6 legbars hatched. Then 2 of the olive eggers. So 3 out of 10 shipped eggs.