Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Duck Drover]

I would take them back telling them your concerns ask to see the rooster?

They are in the incubator now so I can at least know it was the eggs and not the hens that failed if they don't develop. If they all end up clear I will let her know but if at least a few hatch I will just make the most of it.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Anyone have an idea what it would cost to replace the underbelly and ducting in a dbl wide? The inspector found rats living in the belly area and we asked for the seller to fix it but I don't know if they will, doesn't sound like they have much cash on hand.

Hinotori- More pics!! More pics!!! Please.....

 

[marchick]

My husband picked up the dozen hatching eggs for me because I am not driving. He knows nothing about hatching and apparently neither does the seller. Two look like double yolks so they are unlikely to hatch, especially considering how deformed this one is.

This one is also deformed and covered with egg yolk. All the eggs were so dirty that I hope it is not an indication of the health of the chickens.


I thought she only had two Easter Egger hens and in the listing she said they were blue eggs. In an email she said they were a greenish blue. I am going to have to clean them and start them in the incubator to see if any have a chance before I put them under my hens.

If I had picked them up myself I might have only bought the few that look normal and not the dozen. Some look like small pullet eggs so they would not normally be considered hatching eggs and some are more football shaped. I am disappointed that I trusted this person to sell me hatchable hatching eggs. All the more reason to have my own chickens!

Is it even possible to have so many sizes and shapes of eggs from two hens? I am hoping they are no more than a week old but considering the shape they are in, I doubt this person knows anything about hatching eggs. They were even pointed end up in the carton. I might have to keep looking for some nice Easter Eggers (hatchery Ameraucanas) because right now this looks like a mistake.

Hi, My thought with them being that dirty! Is she collecting every day? Did she find them laying on the ground and just picked them up or are the pens just muddy? Have you tried candling them to see if there is a big air pocket from being old and not good. I had a egg shipped that had a baby forming in it once! I hope all goes well and you get a good hatch!

 

[vasher]

Hiya, are there any (non-feather footed) general breeders in Western Washington? Most places I've found selling birds have been the feed stores (I assume they are from hatcheries?). I've found a few juvenile birds for sale here and there on craigslist, but haven't been able to find actual breeder websites or anything like that. I remember seeing quite a few varieties at the State Fair last year, but maybe they were mail orders? Just trying to get an idea of what local birds are out there.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hiya, are there any (non-feather footed) general breeders in Western Washington? Most places I've found selling birds have been the feed stores (I assume they are from hatcheries?). I've found a few juvenile birds for sale here and there on craigslist, but haven't been able to find actual breeder websites or anything like that. I remember seeing quite a few varieties at the State Fair last year, but maybe they were mail orders? Just trying to get an idea of what local birds are out there.

We do have breeders of the type you are looking for and
I am sure they may chime in soon or pm you
as this is a good time of year for chicks

 

[Marty1876]

Hope you dont mind if I join you?

 

[Hinotori]

The little bugs are to fast for me and the mamas are running interference to keep them hidden.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hope you dont mind if I join you?

Glad to have you we are a pretty darn good group
welcomed all and everyone

 

[Duck Drover]

Hi, My thought with them being that dirty! Is she collecting every day? Did she find them laying on the ground and just picked them up or are the pens just muddy? Have you tried candling them to see if there is a big air pocket from being old and not good. I had a egg shipped that had a baby forming in it once! I hope all goes well and you get a good hatch!

I had my daughter set them so I did not candle them to check the air space. That would have been smart but it is not too late so I can have her check them tonight.

I had hoped the seller knew that I wanted the freshest eggs to hatch but she could have dumped old eggs on me. If these eggs are no good I hope it is due to ignorance and she is not deliberately trying to scam me.

The eggs being dirty could allow bacteria to enter, causing the ring of death, but it is the shapes and sizes of the eggs that concerns me more. I have paid for eggs that were clear in the past and alerted the seller. I knew it was their eggs because I had eggs developing right next to them in the incubator. The sellers I have dealt with were ethical and they replaced eggs if the majority were infertile.

I once got a huge batch of eggs from a reputable seller and every one of them was clear so I think they must have got too cold since they were out in her barn but I will never know for sure. Every one of her eggs was clear while mine were 100% fertile so it was not something I did to the eggs. Those eggs were so clean and the flock was so well taken care of that the storage temperature was the only thing I could guess resulted in not one of them developing.

I looked at the posted pictures of the flock more carefully and there is a chance this seller has too many hens for the rooster to cover effectively. I was not concerned about her having a mix of hens because I only wanted the blue eggs so hopefully the eggs are fertile. One of the Easter Egger hens pictured is missing feathers in the saddle area, which I assume is due to the rooster mounting her.

Barnyard mix eggs have such low value for hatching that she may be trying to get more money by listing them for hatching instead of eating, even though the rest if her eggs are only good for eating. If I can get a batch of chicks I will get my money's worth but the eggs themselves hardly look like they are worth hatching.

I don't ever buy shipped eggs because too much can go wrong but I have bought local eggs with mostly good results. I get people asking me for eggs all the time but I have much better success hatching my own eggs so I would rather hatch them myself. Hatching chicks is not profitable but it does help cover some of the feed costs and it is fun work.

We get clear duck eggs because their nests are sometimes hidden well enough that the eggs can get too old or too cold before we find them. Ducks like to move their nests when their eggs disappear, unlike chickens that will lay in the same nest box repeatedly. I usually candle before setting them in order to pull out the ones that don't have a chance but sometimes I put questionable eggs in the incubator since I have nothing to lose. I will even try cracked eggs by sealing the cracks with fingernail polish with the hope that bacteria has not entered the shell.

I have just never seen so many deformed and odd sized eggs in one dozen before. It makes me worry about the health of the chicks if they do hatch. Will chicks that hatch from deformed eggs have the same problems as the hens that laid the eggs? Is it a feed deficiency issue, a genetic issue, or a disease issue that effects egg shape and size? Maybe I should be asking in the hatching section but I know alot of you hatch eggs too so I am curious to know if any of you have dealt with eggs like these.

I could try to contact the seller to explain to her how to choose her best eggs for hatching and stick to eating any that are deformed, too big, or too small but people don't always like unsolicited advice. I never met the woman so I don't know what kind of person she is, whether she does not know any better or whether she already knows these eggs were not worth selling as hatching eggs. Maybe she already had other buyers hand pick the best eggs and my husband just grabbed the carton of left overs she had ready for me.

 

[Duck Drover]

The little bugs are to fast for me and the mamas are running interference to keep them hidden.

It is so precious to see the mama hens with baby chicks. I want to put my Silkies to work more and trust them with my precious babies. I love hearing the hens talk to their chicks and showing them how to be chickens. I am hoping my pen is better designed for chicks but I still need to find a way so they can go in and out of the raised coop (only a couple feet off the ground) and not get trampled by the rest of the flock. I think I have better safety from the crows this year.