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- #31
- Apr 15, 2020
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Well…. I’m just having a horrible time this year trying to get chicks. The only good hatch that I had was from Brenda Smith (she packs her eggs better than anyone I’ve ever seen - would recommend her all day every day!) Every other batch has been in abysmal shape after the usps finished with them. I’m starting to really dislike having eggs being shipped in egg cartons. I think it jostles them so much more.
Anyways, of the last 62 eggs that I set in my incubator, I only have 3 chicks (4 others made it to hatch day but didn’t survive hatch due to shrink wrapping) and 7 eggs developing in my incubator. I wouldn’t be surprised if several of the 7 are quitters so maybe I will end up with a few more chicks.
But I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on eggs, with only a small handful of chicks to show for it!! It’s so sad! Okay, pity party over. But I just don’t know if I have the will to order any more, or if I need to just call it quits for the year. The sad thing for me is that I wanted so badly to get a lavender or blue cream silkie chick and I ended up with none of them. And there is no way to get them locally, so I’m just out of luck unless I try again with Bobbi to get some blue creams (the only real option I’m considering now.)
Sorry if this sounds super complain-y, that’s not my intention. Just venting my frustrations (mostly mad at myself) for having such high hopes when I started trying to build a little flock this year. I wanted to be able to hand pick all my birds from lots of babies, and now I just don’t have that option and it’s getting so late into the spring that I don’t want to be ordering more eggs because it will be a long wait and by the time they hatch it will be into summer. I wanted to have the summer to grow out and select my flock. Sometimes life just doesn’t go as planned!
Anyways, of the last 62 eggs that I set in my incubator, I only have 3 chicks (4 others made it to hatch day but didn’t survive hatch due to shrink wrapping) and 7 eggs developing in my incubator. I wouldn’t be surprised if several of the 7 are quitters so maybe I will end up with a few more chicks.
But I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on eggs, with only a small handful of chicks to show for it!! It’s so sad! Okay, pity party over. But I just don’t know if I have the will to order any more, or if I need to just call it quits for the year. The sad thing for me is that I wanted so badly to get a lavender or blue cream silkie chick and I ended up with none of them. And there is no way to get them locally, so I’m just out of luck unless I try again with Bobbi to get some blue creams (the only real option I’m considering now.)
Sorry if this sounds super complain-y, that’s not my intention. Just venting my frustrations (mostly mad at myself) for having such high hopes when I started trying to build a little flock this year. I wanted to be able to hand pick all my birds from lots of babies, and now I just don’t have that option and it’s getting so late into the spring that I don’t want to be ordering more eggs because it will be a long wait and by the time they hatch it will be into summer. I wanted to have the summer to grow out and select my flock. Sometimes life just doesn’t go as planned!
) I’m clear out in UT so everything coming to me is coming from a long way away. I would recommend Bobbi still, she is so sweet, and her birds are absolutely gorgeous!! And I think her eggs were the best packaged besides Brenda’s! I’d still recommend her for sure 
I have been giving them extra B complex. I am kind of wondering if their bums are itching or bothering them? They have had very small amounts of poop stuck near the vent, and I noticed a tiny bit of runny stools, not sure which chick they were from. I haven’t really ever dealt with pasty butt, but it seems like if that caused them to try and itch back there, then it would be commonly talked about. So I really have no clue! They seem healthy in every other way so far.
