Buying eggs for hatching off of ebay! Do or Don't? - Page 2

Why don't you do a test hatch with some cheap eggs to work out the kinks before you try the expensive eggs again!

80% humidity is way too high ! What did you have it at for the 1st 18 days? On lockdown day 18 you should up it to 60-65% for the first 18 days you will read many varying accounts of what works best for people but it all depends on the climate they live in, incubator they are using etc etc... If your eggs don't loose enough weigh/ moisture when they internally pip they will drown in the fluid in the air sack.... Also if humidity is too high for the 1st 18 days the chicks can grow to big and not be able to position themselves to pip.... Do a search on this site and you'll get. Tons of good information.

I personally like more of the dry hatch method i had much better luck with it heck sometimes i let my humidity get down to 15% i try not to let it get over 35% the first 18 day then i jack it up during lock down to 60%-70% you have to learn along the way what works best for you your humidity in you area may be much higher or lower than say my area. Good luck on your next hatch but....i wouldnt be spending no 100.00 on eggs until you know what way works best for you.

Jungleexplorer-

If you had a current flock- and they are laying eggs-  couldn't you find one broody hen to do the work for you?

If not, certainly experiment  with hatching using your own "free" eggs-  get the process down pat  so you are comfortable with the results-  and get the target breed only when you are ready to hatch successfully.

(What breed are you looking for- that is only available via ebay? )

there are tricks to hatching shipped eggs..it is no guarentee but if you.let them sit still on a counter for up to 24 hrs...then when you load them into the incubator make sure your egg trays are level and do not turn the turner on for 5 - 7 days...allowing the eggs to sit absolutly still in the incubator for that time..that allows the embryo to stabelise and it helps stabalise the air cell..the air cell. depending on how shaken they were.. upon hatch time use cardboard egg carton cut it down a bit for pleanty of room to hatch..sit the eggs upright  in that carton..sometimes they are very damaged and will not hatch..but we have hatched a ton of delawares for a freind from many different sources with a lot of luck..once in a while we would get some  badly damaged..beyond hatchabilty.

I 

sent eggs to somone in LA and gave her these instruction as given to me by my vet..those eggs would up lost in the mail  for an unbeleivable amount of time and none should have hatched...out of 7 eggs 3 were infertile 3 hatched and one quit.

RIRs are not usually good mothers or sitters.

 

i have hatched a ton of dels for a freind in thier own incubator and those eggs came from all over US..plus eggs for myself...like i said sometimes they are scrambled..but often you can get more than a  few to hatch and the birds you get out of it were worth the effort

Edited by aveca - 2/28/12 at 4:26pm

I use the Dry Incubation Method which is no water is added to the incubator for the 1st 18 days with the temp between 99-100, Then I place them in my hatcher with the Humidity between 25-35% with the temp 99-100. My hatches have beet great using this method. Everyone's opinion will vary for this. Try a few different methods and see what you like. As for shipped eggs try looking in the Buy Sell and Trade forum here on BYC I would get 6 or so eggs to use for a test hatch so you can get it set up relatively cheap. I would use cheap eggs for a few dollars a dozen. Let us know how your next hatch goes!

 

Nate
 

 

orpingtons are us is right..we use dry hatch method , also the time most critical is during lockdown, unless you live in desert region where you might have to add humidity . if you live in humid region like we do we dont worry about it until lockdown time and shipped eggs should be hatched in cartons upright..the imortant thing is to get the air cell to grow an you can only get that to happen by not adding water , the eggs themselves will create humidity as they develope,mine ran around 30% last year..chicks hatched out like pop corn one after another pumped it to 75- 80 at lockdown.. thicker less pourous eggs have an easier time especially with dry hatch..there are charts listed in here about how your ait cell will look at a certian time in development..the air cell should be quit large at hatch time..if they are shipped eggs do not distube the eggs for first 5- 7 days unless the cells look good not broken as orpingtons are us said..let them sit still absolutly for that time if cells are disturbed. most will settle well just sitting on counter for at least 24 hrs, and can go right in turner..i had a box shipped from AZ last year post office left them on mailbox in a bag in minus 20 degree wind chill..they were pretty frozen and sloppy but managed to hatch 4 of those in a doz...3 were just froze and cracked..a couple appeard to be just infertile. all of the eggs i sent them hatched , same method.

 

pay close attention to temps.

 

we are NPIP so when i hatch eggs for my freind ..i use his bator in a different part of house from my equipment and am mindful to be cleaned up befor going near mine..he picks them up  upon drying off with heat pad in a box heat roaring in his car...we have never had a problem...he and his wife have me do it because they freak out ..

 

also ask your seller to write on the box .....PLEASE DO NOT XRAY...live hatching eggs...as you have live embryos  in there...xray machine ...no good for that

Edited by aveca - 2/29/12 at 6:56am