The Great Egg Shipping Experiment!

[kodster]

Papa Brooder does an amazing job!

I test hatched some eggs for him last winter. It was an amazing assortment of chicks.

Congratulations!

I wish I could say the same for the lavender orp and lemon cuckoo orp eggs I got from him last month. USPS scrambled almost ALL of mine... and I think they were exposed to heat, because some of them on eggtopsy looked curdled (after only a few days in the 'bator) and some were just liquid. I have one lemon cuckoo out of 10 eggs that is in lockdown now, and it's VERY active. None of the 14 lavender orps made it. I'm not blaming him, though... he warned me that my choice of eggs was near the end of the season for him... turning them out to pasture, and a new roo for the lemon cuckoos who he wasn't sure was proven yet. I honestly believe it was USPS in this case, because all the eggs arrived unbroken, well-packaged. I think whomever had them via USPS shook the box hard. I know it wasn't my local office, because I've gotten other eggs and the girls at the office know that I hatch and raise birds, so they're more interested in the results than damage.

What I do know is that any lemon cuckoo orp eggs I get for hatching, no matter who, are sure TINY compared to other orp eggs! I would swear they're bantams, and not large fowl!

 

[chickadoodles]

I had some that I just tried to hatch from Papas brooder. But it was my first hatch and I only got one chick to hatch.
So now I am working on three sets of eggs! Turkey, SS, OE.
And some very nice Blue Andalusian eggs that I just got today! Packed very nicely packed in peanuts and each egg was wrapped in bubble wrap! I am so excited hoping to get some chicks going on soon! Wish me luck!

 

[ozexpat]

I have some Papa Brooder eggs in my next trip to the Phils. I was trying to keep the eggs as local as I can to diminish effects of multiple plane rides.

I have 4 sets coming USPS from the West Coast and 2 sets from the east coast.

 

[Wisher1000]

OZ, Which breed seems to thrive best there?

 

[ozexpat]

OZ, Which breed seems to thrive best there?

Once I get them hatched - they all seem to do pretty well.

I have had one adult bird die - a roo a few hours after he had a fight with another roo, and only 2 or 3 chicks in their first week (not counting those that dies from the toxic effects of fire ant bites as day olds). I have had a scare once with a sick chick that was 6 weeks old and had a runny nose but it was the first day with rice husks as litter. The chicks that died - one was week and the other died from mis-adventure

I vaccinate for NCD and foul pox. Standing by I have amprolium, oxytetracycline and dimethox but never have to use them.

I do not feed medicated feed but give them the equivalent of VetRx for the 1st week in their water to boost electrolyte. They also get mashed up boiled eggs from the incubator culls.

Brooder lamps are only 40 watts. They are on full time for 2 weeks then at night for one more week.

My coops are well ventilated and we almost always have a breeze. Max temps rarely hit 90. Normally 88 during the day and 82 at night. The "soil" is sand as we are right on the beach so we have no mud.

 

[Wisher1000]

Wow, it really is paradise........except for the ants. Can you hatch an anteater?

 

[ozexpat]

Wow, it really is paradise........except for the ants. Can you hatch an anteater?

Mrs Oz will tell you paradise is overrated lol. But she has to live there without me - still there is light at the end of the tunnel.

We fixed the ant problem with legs on the brooders sitting in paint cans of water. My first hatch in the display case bator lost 30+ chicks in an hour. It was a tough lesson.

I did lose some guinea foul this week to a feral cat. We sealed the gap above the door of the coop. It also raided Bernie's food so it wont be long for this world.

 

[Wisher1000]

Get Bernie a LGD for Christmas! Hey for those of you that are interested in Campines or in chicken history, check this out!http://campines.tumblr.com/
If you click on section 5) Mythology, then look at the bottom of the page there are some links to archived books from the Library of Congress. In one of them, Oz, there is a page that talks about the shipping problems of the farm and how they pack carefully but cannot be responsible for rough treatment along the way! Seems our problems are not new...........

 

[ozexpat]

Get Bernie a LGD for Christmas! Hey for those of you that are interested in Campines or in chicken history, check this out!http://campines.tumblr.com/
If you click on section 5) Mythology, then look at the bottom of the page there are some links to archived books from the Library of Congress. In one of them, Oz, there is a page that talks about the shipping problems of the farm and how they pack carefully but cannot be responsible for rough treatment along the way! Seems our problems are not new...........

he has a lgd





well sort of lol

 

[chickadoodles]

I have some Papa Brooder eggs in my next trip to the Phils. I was trying to keep the eggs as local as I can to diminish effects of multiple plane rides.

I have 4 sets coming USPS from the West Coast and 2 sets from the east coast.

I got some from the east coast.

he has a lgd





well sort of lol

awww he's so cute!