Tis Time for a March 2020 Hatch-a-long!

[hysop]

Oh wait Black Jersey Giants have some white/yellow in them at the beginning right? So would that mean they’re full and if they are 100% black that would mean they’re mix? Or not necessarily?

 

[LilyD]

Interesting! I think the handling of your particular post office pathway also matters a lot, and obviously none of us, shippers or buyers, can control that.

• I've had foam ones not work out either. Several smashed eggs (*ahem, MH*)
• The individual bubble wrap also doesn't work great if they just throw them in willynilly (*ahem, MPC*)
• I don't have any experience with people shipping in cartons, but that seems misguided.
• The best outcomes I've had so far have been with bubble-wrapped, placed fat-end up, with enough shredded paper filling to limit movement, with one box packed inside of a larger box, and the box marked with an UP direction and some kind of indication that it's got live contents.

With that, air cells might still be a little looser than preferred, but I haven't had any scrambled eggs and or cracks. An occasional early quitter, but can't be sure what caused that.

I've had the bubble wrap fat end up ones before and had destroyed air cells. This was what they shipped in this time and it was wonderful.

There were two of these wrapped individually in bubble wrap inside a small box that is then set so the eggs are upright and inside a larger box wrapped in large bubble wrap so it's tight in the box. Just candled my leap year eggs and when I was there (couldn't resist) I candled 3 of the eggs I got from this seller. One I was worried about from the start. It was the only one that seemed to have had damage from shipping. It was bad of course and I tossed it. The other two had active little baby beans in them bouncing around.

 

[Mvan42]

Got my second shipment of eggs today... one cracked, out of the 11, 2 appear ok the others have with semi detached or all the way detached air cells... kinda worried about the results of them. Setting them Saturday. Which will leave a week between the eggs already set and these...

 

[gmjarvi]

Exactly this -- having decent equipment and having sourced your eggs well makes all the difference. My first batch was with a borrowed styrofoam bator with wicked hotspots, with eggs I bought from My Pet Chicken. NEVER AGAIN, on either front. After that, I splurged on an Incuview, and buy from either local sources or reputable breeders. I did try Meyer Hatchery eggs once, and while it was a little better than MPC, they don't send extras unless you buy a lot, and several of their eggs were either cracked, clears/early quitters, or already-growing-but-dead (!!). My best shipped rates so far have come from a breeder in California (I'm in NJ) - his stock is good, and his shipping practices are top notch.

I have cream legbar, speckled Sussex, and partridge cochin eggs coming in April from Meyer. They are relatively close to me (they're in Ohio, I'm in upper MI) so I'm hoping hoping hoping that will make something of a difference. If not I found another place I can get at least cream legbar eggs...small homestead breeder so likely better stock.

 

[hysop]

So where do you keep your incubator?

Mine is in my living room. Probably not a good idea since my 3 year olds love looking at em and sometimes touch the side table enough to rattle the eggs a little, although as each day goes by they look at them less.

 

[Mvan42]

So where do you keep your incubator?

Mine is in my living room. Probably not a good idea since my 3 year olds love looking at em and sometimes touch the side table enough to rattle the eggs a little, although as each day goes by they look at them less.

Mine is on the kitchen table. We eat at the bar so we don’t use the table that much... and I am like your three year old can’t stop looking every time I pass it.. lol

 

[gmjarvi]

So where do you keep your incubator?

Mine is in my living room. Probably not a good idea since my 3 year olds love looking at em and sometimes touch the side table enough to rattle the eggs a little, although as each day goes by they look at them less.

Mine are in the kitchen. I worry about temperature fluctuations when I cook, but it's the only place I have that will work right now.

 

[hysop]

Mine is on the kitchen table. We eat at the bar so we don’t use the table that much... and I am like your three year old can’t stop looking every time I pass it.. lol

I have two. When one is done looking at them, the other gets a turn. I’m super happy the eggs have held up to their slight roughness. Now that the candling part is done I’m like Day 18 can’t get here fast enough. I still have 9 more days to go

 

[Jules929]

So where do you keep your incubator?

Mine is in my living room. Probably not a good idea since my 3 year olds love looking at em and sometimes touch the side table enough to rattle the eggs a little, although as each day goes by they look at them less.

I have my 2 incubators on plastic shelves in the tub of my spare bathroom, lol. I keep the door closed to maintain more consistent room temp and humidity. There isn't a window, so it makes candling much easier.

 

[hysop]

Mine are in the kitchen. I worry about temperature fluctuations when I cook, but it's the only place I have that will work right now.

Tomorrow night the lowest temperature will be 29 degrees so I’m wondering if I should wrap my incubator with some blankets. I already put small towels on the windows at night I make sure not to cover the vents