Tips for a good hatch rate for shipped eggs?

[SimoneG]

Wow, Bill, tough words about those that may have some very unique birds,
& thank goodness that they do sell & ship hatching eggs for those of us
that dont live nearby so that we may get an opportunity to improve our flocks!

Sarge, Fred and Egghead have made some very good points..... & I have been
following Fred's posts, btw.

Here is what happened to me recently.
My first purchase of hatching eggs this season didnt go so well.
I had a couple dozen of my own eggs sitting on the counter for my control group.
My counter eggs were just sitting there about 2-3 days - collected around the time of my purchase.
The ordered eggs were being shipped from Illinois, and I expected them in about 4 days.
Those 4 days came and went, & then another week later I had to go out of
town for a death in the family, so the old counter eggs went into the bator, on Feb 2nd.
Still no eggs in the mail. My DH calls me on the 6th saying the eggs had come in.
I knew that they were probably no good, since I figured they were scrambled and
frozen, which they were. But into the bator they went but none developed. This package
was well marked & I will always ask for no tell-tale signs going forward.
My old counter eggs hatched 19 chicks, with a dickey, internal turner & absolutely no water added the entire time. I have gone to dry hatching, even in our bone dry climate.
Some may even call me crazy for going dry.

I didnt even want a new shipment, even tho this BYC seller offered
because she felt so badly. I am not sure when I will want to purchase
more eggs. But my wish list : some black shulbert phoenix eggs from Boggy Bottom,
(I had a good hatch from his eggs late last spring), some SQ sumatras,
and a few more hackle eggs from fly fisher. Also been drooling over some of those Duckworth
line of barred rocks.
I also had a very bad hatch (no chicks) from 3 separate shipments later in
the year. The best time of year is coming up, for the eggs
in the spring time are more robust, & more
expensive since alot of people know this.

I was reading this article
http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id45.html
from By Robert Blosl, I believe another BYC'er, who recomends
travelling to pick up eggs or, order some young 4 week old birds & have them
shipped overnight. Guess I need to start lurking and following Robert's post too.

And I gave up on LGs. If you are getting good hatches from them,
YOU are VERY lucky. I dont trust them with shipped eggs.

Hopefully others will chime in on this too
Good luck Sarge, & see ya around!

Can you tell me more about dry hatching? (I'm doing guinea and hopefully peacock eggs.)

 

[BeverlyH]

I just received my first batch of shipped eggs! A Heritage breed...Last summer I paid heavily for 6 Spangled Orpington chicks...1 hen, 5 Roos! After rehoming 4 Roos, I thought it would be fun to let my Brooding hen give it a try...The chicks are due on Easter Sunday! Fingers crossed.

How did the Broody hen hatch them? I have a broody, and just got eggs shipped but I dont trust she will stay put and hatch them, her first time being broody and she has been broody for a good 2 weeks already

 

[Dharmachick]

If you can't maintain a constant heat within a very narrow range, if you can't maintain constant humidity within the a range that's acceptable for the are in which you live & you don't supply the proper amount of venting & turn regularly, eggs simply won't/can't hatch.

Oh dear! I'll be sure to let my broodies know this, they often jump off their eggs to eat and tend to the necessary. The eggs aren't at a constant temp or humidity. I buy shipped eggs and get 70 to 100% hatch.

 

[Clifton sanders]

Oh dear! I'll be sure to let my broodies know this, they often jump off their eggs to eat and tend to the necessary. The eggs aren't at a constant temp or humidity. I buy shipped eggs and get 70 to 100% hatch.

This is so true. When I use an incubator, I think about how Broody hens do it. I use the dry hatch method with my eggs. Works great. You definitely should try to keep reasonable ranges with the temperature but you are right. Hens leave the nest. I’ve had hens stay off the eggs til they were cool to touch. All still hatched.

 

[TumbleGrump]

A couple of drips of mint oil at day 18 in the "moisturizing water", this opens up the pores in the egg shell and softens the calcium carbonate in the egg shell. If an egg is shaked by the mailman you have no fertility chance anyway. Mail egg chicks have a harder time to get out of the egg for some reason. Works as a train for us and it smells also very good!

Add it in the summer to the chicks water and it cools them off by lowering the body temperature.

adding adult chicks to a flock? Give them mint water 2 days before and the will be way more calm than usual...

Mint it is!