Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Chaneys Ranch]

No cheeka, they wheren't fertile...I was trying to entice the ex broody into coming back and brooding again...failed and she is molting now so not a loss.
Ordered another incubator today. Eggs are shipping Saturday.

You guys have posted almost 100 posts since I was last on. Too many for me to get through right now. If there is anything for me to know, please tell me.
My news is that I did get the coop cleaned out, and the girls are very happy. Now that all the older chicks are old enough to be in the layer pen, I am going through food like crazy. If it weren't day time, I would swear I had rats eating half the food!
Yesterday my Ameraucana was put down. She was rarely standing up, her breast bone and wrist bones (one more than the other) were protruding from her body. she was just not right. I am going to move my 2 splash EE soon. They will be going elsewhere if they don't begin laying again soon. I might give them until the spring, but I doubt it. The only other blue layer I have is the cross beak. She should begin laying again anytime now. She never hatched any eggs, and the 21 days was up about three weeks ago. She may decide she needs another 2 weeks.
I still have the Ameraucana rooster. I will hatch out some eggs (and probably EE) when my chicken numbers get down below 30 again.
My husband got a new trucking job. He begins the end of the month. Now I need to interview chicken sitters for when I will be going with him for a few weeks at a time. I don't think it will be easy to find experience/knowledge without them having a flock. We will see.

Sorry to hear you lost her. UGH good luck finding a good sitter! I usually ask my oldest daughter, Its really hard to find someone that will manage it all.
I have to start processing some roosters. we are going through almost 100lbs of feed a week. The BBW turkeys are worse than meatbirds! I probably won't raise them again.
My DH just changed trucking co's too, he starts next monday, but its local. Triaxle dump instead of a semi.

it's frightening what is "acceptable"for elder care. your parents are so very fortunate, they obviously did a wonderful job raising their daughter to know what is important in life. it's one of the main reasons why I am considering selling my house and moving west. While my folks are doing very well, I would like to live closer...

Thank you! I moved mine here, Mom called telling me about Dad hurting himself and was at the emergency room. My brother only lived 7 miles away and couldn't come help him fix the car. We were 3 hours away, and I beat feet up there! The neighbor took dad to the hospital. once everything settled down, that's when we sat down and discussed them moving here. They disliked where they were, and it had been built up with subdivisions. They jumped at the idea, and put the house up for sale right away! Better doctors, too. When my mom went thru the cancer, We built on the addition and moved over here. That's been almost 7 years ago.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

School starts back Monday for me, a lot of my friends started this week. I can't decide if I'm excited or not, haha!

LOL I loved the summers, but it was fun looking ahead to see friends and new people too.

so cool OK! sure wish I hadn't lost Violet... she might have been willing to brood again... could have joined you and Sally in a hatchalong...

been hard at work here, the floor installation has begun! check it out:

I love it and it's nice up against the 1970's kinda orange varnish on the trim, door, stairs, ceiling beams and stair wall in the living room... it's everywhere... shellac

way too much work to redo that, I would never paint it... I much prefer seeing the wood grain and knots and more natural look, even if it's unnatural orange.

It goes very well with it, how exciting! I love hardwood and HATE carpet!

Quote:
I am so sorry for your loss, but you are right. Sounds like he had a lot of misery to endure.

Hatching eggs will be here tomorrow. Almost a week after I bought them.

Yikes, when were they laid, did they tell you?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote:
Awww how cute!

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Jchnny I bought the eggs Saturday knowing the seller couldn't ship USPS on Sunday. The seller sent me a message on Monday and said the "girls" had slowed down on their laying and he hoped to have enough to fill the order by Wednesday. I got tracking information from USPS on Tuesday that said they were "accepted" and shipped "second day priority mail". The tracking shows that they will be here today which is Friday. Only the seller knows when the eggs were laid but I assume they were fresh Monday or Tuesday but they did sit in the post office for a few days according to the tracking information. Do you think they will still hatch? I can get some fresh eggs locally if you think these might be duds. Just not the breeds I really want. Anybody?

 

[Sallysec]

Seven to ten days is okay but after seven hatch rates go down considerably

Jchnny I bought the eggs Saturday knowing the seller couldn't ship USPS on Sunday.  The seller sent me a message on Monday and said the "girls" had slowed down on their laying and he hoped to have enough to fill the order by Wednesday. I got tracking information from USPS on Tuesday that said they were "accepted" and shipped "second day priority mail". The tracking shows that they will be here today which is Friday. Only the seller knows when the eggs were laid but I assume they were fresh Monday or Tuesday but they did sit in the post office for a few days according to the tracking information. Do you think they will still hatch? I can get some fresh eggs locally if you think these might be duds. Just not the breeds I really want. Anybody?

 

[Sallysec]

I wrote that reply while at the gym, so now I will expand...I wouldn't get more eggs just yet....wait until She decides to mess with you and wants to have babies too, then give her some local ones and you can see how everything turns out

Also maybe the shipped created the label one Tuesday from home and didn't have the eggs collected yet? Just a thought but who knows. I know some breeders actually pencil in the date the egg was collected. My lady that is shipping me out eggs collects for three days and then she ships. She pmed me yesterday to say that she was running behind because the CL's are not cooperating so I am a little delayed but It wasn't like I was in a rush since I purchased them on a whim.

I bought a second incubator (this one manual) so lets see how that goes. Cheeka if you ever need one....let me know and I will send it over to you to use since your close. I actually might order a third because DH is in the doghouse right now.

So this rainy weather sucks

and I have to go into Queens tonight for a wedding. Cool part about the wedding is that it is country/cowboy themed and its being held at some kind of farm museum etc. So We get to go in jeans and boots. My Husband is so happy about that. I am going to go buy my son a little cowboy hat today just for the event. I love the fact that anything I purchase for the kids to wear can be used again when the dress code is like this. I hate going out to buy my son dress shoes or a tie that I know he wont be able to wear more than once because they grow so fast at this age. The shoes I got for the wedding in July ...already don't fit. The pants from the June wedding, didn't fit for the July wedding. It is crazy. Today is his last day at Pre-K and I am scared out of my mind that he won't like Kindergarten at the elementary school. He has a few issues with speech/adhd/anxiety and I know I am just being a worrier but....its so scary to let go. I feel like so much more bad stuff happens to kids now than back when I was a kid. I worry about him being picked on and not being able to communicate to me about it.

Bad news is my passenger side brakes on my SUV are messed up and I am kind of worried about it because that is the car I use for doing all my running around with the kids etc. Also I can't fit a bale of Hay in my husband's car along with all the chicken feed. Is it sad that this was my first thought?

Lastly, I am expecting a job offer today or tomorrow...I am torn up about it because I really love being home with the kids...but I also like the idea of getting back into work and having non chicken/baby talks during the day. Of course in this economy a second income is also a very big plus. I just don't know if I am going to say yes or not. I know once I start working I won't stop. I also know I don't plan on having any more children so it makes me want to stay home with my little girl even longer.

Sorry for going off about family stuff....back to the chickens!

The little chicks are BIG! I can't believe how they feathered so fast. I swear its because they are outside and just in general seem healthier. Five eggs yesterday..Nothing yet so far today. I think my girls like to lay in the late afternoon. Every morning I get no eggs (maybe 1 or 2 tops) then by 2-4 o clock...BAM. Anyone else have that happen?

 

[showbarnmom]

I think I have very well rounded socialized chickens.

I've got 4 14 week olds that have been in the grow out coop. Last two days I've been letting them out with the big flock. Today everyone ate together with minimal pecking and fussing and no obsessive chasing or aggression! Woohoo!

 

[SullyD]

OK-I have had mixed luck with shipped eggs. My first batch of 3 eggs, 2 hatched. My second shipment of 10 CL eggs, all 10 hatched, except one died shortly after hatching. On the down side, I got 7 roos, and 3 pullets! Then one of the pullets got out and eaten by the resident red shouldered hawk. I know, because it came back the next day and sat on the coop waiting for another! Then I got greedy for blue eggs and ordered more Wheaten and Blue Ameraucana's. I got 24 eggs, and 3 hatched. I swear they went to the location Cheeka was talking about where they played "toss it into the basket" with the box. Even though it was clearly marked FRAGILE and HATCHING EGGS on the box! Detached air cells, and scrambled yolks were the biggest issues. I know you are looking for some speciality breeds that you may not be able to find locally, but it is such a crap shoot with shipped eggs! I wish you luck! At least you have the broody working for you instead of the incubator!

Sally-sounds like a busy but fun weekend for you! I loved staying home with my three girls while they were growing up. I was lucky enough to be able to do that. I honestly didn't miss the work, but I have always been better at doing kid things and animal things than I was doing business things!

SBMom-Kudos to you! I have been lucky with the new chicken intros too, so far! Luckily the fact I have 5 roos chasing the 11 girls around, they actually like the new blood! Gives the roos someone else to chase!

So I got my FIRST EGG finally!!! Unfortunately, it was so dark when I brought them in last nite, I never saw it in the run (which is separate from my coop), until I spotted egg shells this morning when I went looking around the run

It is one of the NH Reds, it was a small brown egg. I think I will have to put some nest boxes in the run so they will have a proper place to lay them! The next girls up to lay will be the one Am. then followed by the CL's I think they they mature a little later than some other breeds. I have some Barred Rocks too that are about 16 weeks this week. What is the average age for laying for them? Taking out the Roger factor though!

So, have any of you ever had a hen go broody BEFORE they start laying?? I picked up a OE at the auction a couple of weeks ago and she has taken over the care of the hatchlings I also got at the auction. She has not been with the flock yet, so not sure when to put her and the babies in. I know it will be a couple of months, but I have 11 of them in a very small coop and they will run out of room fast! I could put up some sort of divider I guess.....

 

[cheeka]

15 Eggs today! the littlest chick is getting wing feathers, although they are very hard to see... it being a Silie and all...


outside of the finishing work like quarter round at the base of the cabinets and lowering the feet on the fridge so it fits under the upper cabinets... the floor is finished! I love it! it feels very inviting... I want to call someone to come over for a supper of bacon and eggs and a pot of decaf...

 

[cheeka]

Hey Sully, sounds like you picked up a really great girl if she's fostering that many chicks ~ how old is she? I've not had any besides Peach (and Violet, who was not successful at hatching) Some chickens are just inclined to be nurturing. a divider would be great, and it would allow you to introduce them to the rest of the flock sooner, without risking injury...

I'm moving Peach's older chicks tonight at dusk. they are very good with the chicks... it's amazing how they all mingle, but it's time to make the move. Peach needs to be on her own with the wee ones, during the major downpour we had today, all NINE of them were crammed in Peach's little kennel. it was pretty cute tho', wish I had the camera... but it was really pouring.