The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: marigold on September 05, 2009, 06:03:25 pm
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I have just put my name down for 8 ex bats but apparently it is going to take months before the next delivery.
But now that i'm excited about new hens I thought that I might invest in the incubator on ebay and try to hatch some eggs - preferably cream legbars.
Does anyone have experience of a good egg seller that they would recommend?
It seems difficult to choose from all the ones advertising - otherwise does anyone know of cream legbar pullets in central scotland ish or east?
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Hi Kirsty there is a woman 2 minutes from here sells the cream legbars. Remember if you hatch your eggs there is always the risk you end up with more cockerels than hens! :)
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i would keep hens before trying to hatch some. its reasonably easy but also consider that you will take 3 weeks ro hatch and 4 to brood so your looking at mid to end of november before they come off heat. i think it would be best to wair for spring.
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I agree with Shetlandpaul. Ex-batts are fantastic to watch as they adjust to their new surroundings. Mine were totally agraphobic when they first arrived and as each day went on they blossomed into proper hens although their feathers didn't truly grow back until they had their first moult. I would enjoy your Batts before you start doing the whole chick thing.
As for ebay, I bought 3 Crested Cream Legbar and 3 Copper Blue Maran eggs from Naomi on ebay. The Legbars didn't hatch and were very liquidy when I shook them, 2 Marans died mid-hatching and the only survivor is a cockeral! We also put 3 of our own eggs under the broody too and all 3 hatched. Naomi was very friendly and couldn't have been more helpful. I think the 2 that died during hatching had nothing to do with going through the post, but don't know about the Legbars - maybe it was the post or maybe her cockeral was having a day off!! Personally I wouldn't do it again, but would look for eggs locally.
Whatever you decide Good Luck
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Thanks all.
We do have hens at the moment - 3 dutch bantams and 4 mongrel banties - I have been waiting for them to go broody for weeks but they haven't. So I decided to book the ex bats to keep me interested and then got impatient when I learnt it would be a while until they would arrive.
I had wondered about the season and that it will be really chilly here when they come out from under the lamp. I think you are right and I should wait for Spring. In the meantime I'll nip across the river to Fife and see if there are any pullets around.
Thanks all
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Thanks all.
We do have hens at the moment - 3 dutch bantams and 4 mongrel banties - I have been waiting for them to go broody for weeks but they haven't. So I decided to book the ex bats to keep me interested and then got impatient when I learnt it would be a while until they would arrive.
I had wondered about the season and that it will be really chilly here when they come out from under the lamp. I think you are right and I should wait for Spring. In the meantime I'll nip across the river to Fife and see if there are any pullets around.
Thanks all
Is that Jim Duff you spoke to about the ex batts? Even if he is fully booked for the next batch ask him as he sometimes has cancellations.
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It was Jim Duff. It sounded as though he had just sent a batch out and wouldn't be getting anymore from the farmer for a while.
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if buying eggs off ebay go to the box that says distance and put in the milage you could collect from as its normally the post that does eggs in,.
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:pig: i would be inclined to wait until next spring to start trying to incubate any eggs the hatch rate starts to drop off at the end of the summer at the start of my hatchings this year i had 90% hatch this last hatch 50% i think i have hatched around 150 ish this year its great fun but the other ting to consider is the colder the weather the longer the heat lamp has to stay on and the harder it is to get the chicks off the heat i have also found in the past years the later the hatch i have lost a few chicks that would have lived had the weather been better.
i have tried eggs from ebay but the postal system does reduce the fertility.
good luck if you decide to hatch it is good fun
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What do you do with them all?
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the more expensive postal services are meant to be better than standard. but its guaranteed that the more expensive eggs will be damaged quicker.
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:) hi doganjo it helps myself and my mum we sell most of our layers at around 2 years so they just replace them the pekins and modern game we sell a few keep a few. all the rir x and the light sussex cock bird go on the table and its some thing our grandchildren can help with thus an early understanding of the food chain. my 3 year old grandson witnessed his first bird go from bird to dinner this week, thats how i was brought up aswell ans my children so it now my grandchildrens turn. oh and selling the birds and eggs feeds the chickens i have so not a penny leaves my pocket. :pig: :chook:
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Sounds like you've got it sussed.
Going back to the original topic, I can confirm I have had mixed success with e bay eggs, largely due to the postage i think. As Harry noted ,it is better to collect eggs locally.
It is very tempting to buy eggs on ebay, especially the more interesting breeds. I have now concluded myself, to not have eggs posted, but to put up with what I can find locally. i also think, in the long run it can be better finding pols locally, if they are a good price.
while i think ex bats are an admirable cause, it is nice to have fancy breeds as well. For egg colour, meat and variety.
The problem can be that in trying to cover all options, you end up, like me, with 40 odd birds and a couple of hundred eggs each week which need distribution. I have a few meat birds but am still coming to terms with actually eating birds that I have nutured.
Once you get started on hatching/breeding it gets very addictive. i still get very excited when a chick hatches or a pullet comes into lay.
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we crossed hi lines with a Shetland cock and were getting some green eggs they have just started laying so were hoping they take after there mums in egg laying. the eggs are a olive green. so they rescued chucks could produce some unusual eggs if you mate them with a coloured egg cockerel.