The 10th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!!!!!

[CapricornFarm]

I found a good supplier only a few hours away so that will who I order from for the quail eggs for this hatch-along. $30 for 15 eggs. As long as at least 6 hatches, statistically, I should have my 1 male 3 females I want. The cage I have should be good for 4 or 5.

Quail eggs are the best at hatching even after shipping. You could get 50% to hatch!

 

[ShrekDawg]

It's not that difficult, and a good learning experience.its good to be able to provide your own food.

Thanks!! That’s true!! I think I probably would be able to with quail but idk if my parents would want me too haha they won’t let me do meat chickens so idk how they’d feel about quail. But I suppose I better figure it out or order way less eggs or else I will be overrun with quail. I think I may try to sell them, they’re not very common in this area, especially the rare colors. Or I may try to make separate color pens and breed different colors. Idk. But I think I will try the butchering thing if I have to.

I don't think they would go in on their own at night. When I raised quail, the door to their pen was left open one night. The next morning Moose helped me gather them up. I was certain we had got them all, Moose kept telling me no, they weren't all there. I counted again, decided they were all there, Moose said no, I took him inside with me. We were sitting in my office, Moose started barking, I looked out and there was a quail out in the yard. We went out and got him, Moose was happy, I swear he muttered under his breath, "I told you so", I never doubted Moose again.

OMG lol good dog.

For those who are wondering if they can do it or how hard it is to process quail here are two videos. I will put the links in Spoilers so no one can see who doesn't want to.

Spoiler

In this video the decapitation isn't seen but everything else is

2nd video

Spoiler

In this one the decapitation is shown and everything else

Thanks for the videos. Helpful. Will watch later.

They love the dirt, I found little divots in the dirt where they lay their eggs and they very much like to have baths. If you do a hutch you'll need to provide it for them.

Thanks! Yeah, I was planning on giving them some dirt to dust bathe in anyway, like a bin, but they seem like they’d be happy to just be on the ground hah

This is a very, very good point! I probably should have thought of that considering the track record the postal service has so far with hatching eggs shipped to my area. I'd probably only be able to get like 2 of the 30 to hatch.

Aw that’s an awful record!

I think Myshire said online their current hatch rate for shipped eggs is like 72%

 

[ronott1]

Me? Heavens no. My hubby built me a coop years ago that isn't/can't go anywhere. lol.. will take a lot to remove it someday. It's quite sturdy. My few hens will love the room they have in there.

Are you renting the hens then? I think rent a coop has different programs. I ask because you said only keep them in the spring and summer...of course I likely read that wrong LOL

 

[ronott1]

Thanks!! That’s true!! I think I probably would be able to with quail but idk if my parents would want me too haha they won’t let me do meat chickens so idk how they’d feel about quail. But I suppose I better figure it out or order way less eggs or else I will be overrun with quail. I think I may try to sell them, they’re not very common in this area, especially the rare colors. Or I may try to make separate color pens and breed different colors. Idk. But I think I will try the butchering thing if I have to.



OMG lol good dog.



Thanks for the videos. Helpful. Will watch later.



Thanks! Yeah, I was planning on giving them some dirt to dust bathe in anyway, like a bin, but they seem like they’d be happy to just be on the ground hah



Aw that’s an awful record!

I think Myshire said online their current hatch rate for shipped eggs is like 72%

Myshire likely gets hatch rates on shipped eggs that high because she packs correctly.

Sadly I have tried to coach some with better packing techniques and they usually insist that there bad packing is not the problem but the Post Office is the problem.

If you see someone blaming the PO for broken and scrambled egg when shipped, do not get hatching eggs from them!

 

[Redhead Rae]

I was intending for the Easter Hatch to be my first hatch of the year....

My hens showed me.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/surprise-chicks.1293753/

 

[Peep_Show]

USPS = United States Pre-Scrambled

 

[CapricornFarm]

They love the dirt, I found little divots in the dirt where they lay their eggs and they very much like to have baths. If you do a hutch you'll need to provide it for them.

I give mine shoe boxes with sand in them, they love that.

 

[ronott1]

USPS = United States Pre-Scrambled

I would not get eggs from you!



I bet you would pack them correctly, or at least try packing my way if I asked you too!

To be serious for a minute though, if a seller constantly has eggs broken in shipping, they are not packing correctly. You can get smashed boxes every once in a while but it should not be a regular thing with good egg packing.

Oz posted this letter:

An open letter to egg shippers
Dear Sir/Madam
I am excited about our business arrangement and look forward to your eggs arriving here in the best possible
condition. While I am sure you have had plenty of experience shipping eggs, I am glad that you have agreed to try shipping
my way. I would like to share what I feel is the ideal way to receive eggs.
1. Eggs must be fresh. By that I mean that they should be less than 2 days. It takes 3 days for USPS to get the eggs from
you to me and then they need to rest for 24 hours. Any eggs over 2 days old when shipped will be over 6 days old when I
get them into my incubator. Also remember that the older the egg the larger the air cell so the more damage. Please never
ship me an egg laid on a Wednesday.
2. Please label the eggs before you wrap them. You may only have one breed of birds but I may be buying several orders
at once and sometimes I have to look up the shipping label reference in order to find out who they came from and what
breed they are. I am always impressed when the date laid is also on there. A lead pencil or non-toxic marker such as a
sharpie is great.
3. Packing. I prefer the Sally Sunshine method. I’ve attached an in depth article on packing them this way and believe that
it will minimize impact damage. Lots of heavy and odd shaped items will be in the same trucks as these precious lives.
Alternatively, you could ship with foam inserts available from www.texaspoultry.com. I personally use these to ship eggs
overseas. They are more costly but the best solution I have found for this application.
4. Shipping. Shipping typically takes 2-3 days to get to me, for this reason alone never ship on Thursday. Even if you
ship fresh to 2 day old eggs on a Thursday I won’t get them until Monday or Tuesday at the best and this will guarantee you
will give me old eggs. Old eggs mean I will have a harder time incubating them and this is not acceptable. The best shipping
days are Saturdays, Monday and Tuesday. This gives the post office wiggle room to mess up the shipment and still get here
with time to salvage. A Wednesday shipment is risky but doesn’t leave any wiggle room for the post office to mess up.
Fridays are OK but occasionally the USPS can get eggs here in 2 days and Friday shipments remove that possibility.
5. Ask me if it is my preference to pick them up at the post office (reducing handling) or not. Some people who work
cannot get to the post office, while others would prefer less handled eggs.
Thank you for taking the time to read and review my preferred method of receiving shipped eggs. I thoroughly
understand the risks I am taking with shipped eggs and accept them. However I believe that following the Sally Sunshine
method will greatly reduce some of these risks.

I use a variation of this but double box and pad the space between boxes:

 

[lomine]

Ugh I’m so disappointed and frustrated. I set 42 eggs and only six hatched. I’ve finally gotten decent fertility but it seems I still have a bunch drowning in the egg. Now I have to figure out if 30-35% is still too high or if I increased too much at lockdown.

I think I’m going to set another batch before the hol and track weight again. I had the best results on the batches were I did that.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Ugh I’m so disappointed and frustrated. I set 42 eggs and only six hatched. I’ve finally gotten decent fertility but it seems I still have a bunch drowning in the egg. Now I have to figure out if 30-35% is still too high or if I increased too much at lockdown.

I think I’m going to set another batch before the hol and track weight again. I had the best results on the batches were I did that.