The 7th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long!

[BantyChooks]

Local eggs!! Sweet!!

So... why wait til she is broody???

Yep!
Definitly not trying shipped for now.


Because it is easier, just from a standpoint of "let and forget." Most summers she had 20+ lil 'lings running around her pond!
Then 30 ducks became too much to feed, so she sold them to a place that is ducky paradise and now only has 4. (Until spring!)


Some time in the future, I will try my hand at incubating them, but right now I need to do a lot more reaserch and then try. If I am gonna do it, I am gonna do it right! I do not want to kill them because of my ignorance.



The ducks she has are actually the ones I had, gave them to her because she has a way better setup. Big pond with an island in the middle and lits of tall grass.

 

[KYTinpusher]

O.K. KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER!!!

We have an old True commercial cooler in the basement - like this one:

The compressor (I think) gave out a couple of years ago and it has been just sitting there collecting dust waiting to be repaired. However, compressors are expensive and it is not in the budget right now. Today DH said he was going to look into what it would cost to fix and if it is a lot (which I am confident it will be) we might as well turn it into an.....






....INCUBATOR! I am going to need some help deciding how best to do that.

Any suggestions!

 

[jwlpoultry]

:yiipchick [COLOR=800080]O.K. KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER!!![/COLOR][COLOR=006400] [/COLOR] We have an old True commercial cooler in the basement - like this one:

The compressor (I think) gave out a couple of years ago and it has been just sitting there collecting dust waiting to be repaired. However, compressors are expensive and it is not in the budget right now. Today DH said he was going to look into what it would cost to fix and if it is a lot (which I am confident it will be) we might as well turn it into an..... [COLOR=008000]....INCUBATOR! [/COLOR] I am going to need some help deciding how best to do that. Any suggestions!

Lucky you let us know how it goes

 

[GitaBooks]

Oh wow! I can't believe I'm finally caught up after reading every chance I got for several days.

Firstly thank you to everyone that donated prizes(I'm completely in love with the shakers and the socks) and especially is/has organized this wonderful fiasco.

Also I totally would love one of the cookbooks so if you decide to sell them after the hatch-a-long please let me know. I also am totally in love with the adult coloring books! And my Mom wants one is there some place we can by them?


Okay so I have some questions and please anyone feel free to throw ideas at me. I would like to join the hal but I would more than likely be setting my eggs on the 3rd(as I hopefully have eggs arriving from MPC on the 2nd), can I still officially join?
Would it be a bad idea to wait with the shipped eggs and set on the 5th? I have never gotten eggs from MPC before. This will only be my fourth hatch, first was silkies and bantams(shipped- 3 inferts, 1 early quitter, 5 late quiters, 8 healthy happy birds-one was an assisted hatch), second was two black oegb(100% set and hatch), third hatch and my only previous hal was Halloween(shipped poorly- 20 Sicilian Buttercups and 2 Partridge rocks all but 4 quit by day 8 complete bust none hatched).


If yes than I will be hatching a mix of chicken eggs(not sure how many yet)
*6 eggs for education from MPC(a prize from the Halloween Hatch-a-long(idk if they send extras or not)
This will also be the first time that we will be trying to hatch our own eggs from our flock as we were new to chickens last year.
*some pure silver laced wyandottes from my flock
*possibly some wyandotte/EE mixes
*possibly some wyandotte/Isa brown mixes
*possibly some silkies
Will update as I can. Please let me know if you need more information.

Sounds like some fun breeds!

 

[chattery41]

O.K. KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER!!!

We have an old True commercial cooler in the basement - like this one:

The compressor (I think) gave out a couple of years ago and it has been just sitting there collecting dust waiting to be repaired. However, compressors are expensive and it is not in the budget right now. Today DH said he was going to look into what it would cost to fix and if it is a lot (which I am confident it will be) we might as well turn it into an.....






....INCUBATOR! I am going to need some help deciding how best to do that.

Any suggestions!

CONGRATS !!!!! Check out @Sally Sunshine s coolerbator, i bet you can get a lot of good ideas there.

 

[NotAFarm]

USPS saga, part deaux:


Does anyone know if you can have boxes shipped to hold as other post offices...not serviced by Whitewater?

Hurley, Full disclosure, I was a postal employee for 15 years in a Chicago suburb (quit to move out here in the boonies).
We live in the country and our address is a small town (2400 in population) 5 miles away.
When I am expecting eggs, I go in to my Post Office and tell my Postmaster (who works the counter) or the clerk that I am expecting a package from ____ with eggs in it. I give her a note to give to my carrier that I want the package left at the post office. The label already has this information on it but I always let the clerk/postmaster and my carrier know. The note has my phone number on it. Call me as soon as it arrives at the Post Office and I will come get it or let you know when I will be there, is what it says. Most, and I repeat, most carriers want to make their customers happy and will do what they are asked to. There are exceptions.....
This would not help with the rerouting of your package to Indiana, there is NO excuse for that.

 

[ellymayRans]

I'm in!!

2nd time for me and I loved last year!! Fun times!

 

[BantyChooks]

:yiipchick [COLOR=800080]O.K. KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER!!![/COLOR][COLOR=006400] [/COLOR] We have an old True commercial cooler in the basement - like this one:

The compressor (I think) gave out a couple of years ago and it has been just sitting there collecting dust waiting to be repaired. However, compressors are expensive and it is not in the budget right now. Today DH said he was going to look into what it would cost to fix and if it is a lot (which I am confident it will be) we might as well turn it into an..... [COLOR=008000]....INCUBATOR! [/COLOR] I am going to need some help deciding how best to do that. Any suggestions!

Awesome!!!

Yep! Definitly not trying shipped for now. Because it is easier, just from a standpoint of "let and forget." Most summers she had 20+ lil 'lings running around her pond! Then 30 ducks became too much to feed, so she sold them to a place that is ducky paradise and now only has 4. (Until spring!) Some time in the future, I will try my hand at incubating them, but right now I need to do a lot more reaserch and then try. If I am gonna do it, I am gonna do it right! I do not want to kill them because of my ignorance. The ducks she has are actually the ones I had, gave them to her because she has a way better setup. Big pond with an island in the middle and lits of tall grass.

.......But you know me, I said NO HATCHING until spring, they stink too bad..... Here I am, Feb 1... With eggs in the cooker! So probably before then....

 

[KYTinpusher]

USPS saga, part deaux:

I reported on Saturday that my eggs showed delivered to Palmyra, WI, to be held at PO.



Called Palmyra WI PO - No answer.
Went to Palmyra WI PO - No box.
Rechecked tracking - Box was in Palmyra...Indiana.

OH NO!

Called Palmyra, IN PO - Box was there, oops, sorry, yes it was marked clearly WI, we'll ship it on.
Tracking showed box bounced back to Louisville sorting, where I am sure the box was handled gently and lovingly for its second time through that facility on Sunday.

This am, box tracking showed arrived in Whitewater (the main PO hub that services this area).



Tracking updated before I could try to pick it up that it is out for delivery in Palmyra - Uh, what happened to HOLD AT PO?
Waited, mail came, no box.


OH NO!


Called Palmyra PO - no answer, repeatedly.
Drove to Palmyra PO - no box. Shrug, try Whitewater. Phone died, drove home, got charger, looked up address, checked tracking, still "out for delivery" in Palmyra.
Drove to Whitewater PO, by this time nearly 5pm (closing time) - No box, Tracking now marked Palmyra, Delivered to front door/porch - 12:52 pm.
Got shooed out the door of the PO because it was 4:59 and they needed to close.
Drove back home, walked the perimeter of the house, driveway, mailbox. No box.
Drove to my 4 neighbors on this dead end little road in the country, no box delivered to them.




So... Shrug? My best hope is that the carrier got here, saw the HOLD AT PO, and took it back to Palmyra after their closing time of 4:00. It's too late to call now (and they don't answer, anyway). Otherwise my eggs are sitting freezing somewhere on someone's front porch. Temps just hit 32 and the sun is down.

Thank you USPS for 5 hours of trying to track down this box Saturday and today, with nothing to show for it but a sparkling clean and heated incubator.

Does anyone know if you can have boxes shipped to hold as other post offices...not serviced by Whitewater?

So sorry about your eggs. You can have your eggs held at whatever P.O. you designate, I believe. I live in Sparta, but have my boxes held in a neighboring town. Of course, mine are going through that P.O. anyway, but I don't think it matters. When you select "Hold For Pick-up" when purchasing the label online, it asks you for the zipcode of where you want it held and addresses the box to that P.O. I imagine the P.O. can look up your address if they need to, but it is not printed on the box. I always tell the person sending to have it held at the neighboring P.O. and have had no problems with that.

 

[NotAFarm]

O.K. KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER!!!

We have an old True commercial cooler in the basement - like this one:

The compressor (I think) gave out a couple of years ago and it has been just sitting there collecting dust waiting to be repaired. However, compressors are expensive and it is not in the budget right now. Today DH said he was going to look into what it would cost to fix and if it is a lot (which I am confident it will be) we might as well turn it into an.....
....INCUBATOR! I am going to need some help deciding how best to do that.

Any suggestions!

Wow, I have no suggestions but that full view window will make for some great "hatch TV"!!