Egg Arrival

The Post Office called and delivered it right to my house.

A little worried about the packaging job.

Unpacking eggs for photo shoot.

I was looking forward to the creme colored eggs that were going to be the Golden Penciled Hamburgs.  None of them took properly so I had to get rid of them.  I kind of figured they wouldn't because they were the smallest.  Maybe next time.

My Easter Eggers and more brown egg layers.

Lucy and I are real proud of our latest chart.

I am a little behind documenting my latest chickening but here is a start.  I ordered 24 eggs via mail.  They say that mail order eggs have a 50 percent hatch rate and beyond that I have to worry about how many roos I end up with.  I admit it wasn't enough to get the chicks.  I needed to see the process from beginning to end.  There are sooooo many things that can go wrong with hatching my own eggs but I am excited to see it all happen.  I am also excited to have a little more variety in my flock.  At the rate it is going I am going to be surprised if any of the little chicks make it.  The truth is this latest project is causing me so much anxiety.  I thought that I would just have to turn them three times a day and it would be sweet. Not true. Here are some things I am worried about.
Bad eggs going rotten and exploding rotting bacteria all over my other eggs and having to cull the lot.

Embryos developing and then dying from contamination or something else.

Sticky chicks

Shrink Wrapped Chicks-when the chick cracks open the egg and their isn't enough outside humidity and the membrane shrinks and dries suffocating the chick.

Malformed chicks

Having full yolk sacs attached to tummies.

The list goes on and on.  This will be the longest 21 days of my life.  I already told Mark never again but I am glad for this opportunity in an educational sort of way.  I am sure if it all works out I will change my tune but MAN this is stressful.