2 Crazies setting Buckeye eggs today--anyone want to join?

[kathyinmo]

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Hi James,

Sorry you didn't get more candle fertile. Let me know how they do!

Laura (Haggarty, btw.)

I do not blame you at all.Shipping is tough on eggs and I am looking at 50% which is in my eyes acceptable with shipped eggs.

If I get 5-7 chicks I will be happy with them and can start my 2nd line with this start.I am still excited about the hatch upcoming.

50% fertility? Ewwww, that's not good.

I am actually excited to candle tomorrow, to see how many Buckeye babies I have developing!

 

[jenjscott]

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I would be tickled pink if I could have gotten 50% developing on all the eggs I have purchased by mail. I am still really tempted from time to time to order eggs from some breed or another, but I have to concentrate on my Buckeyes and my Japs. I guess I don't have 25% developing on my own jap eggs, but they were partially during the cold spell, so that's not really surprising. I have some bathing and some butt plucking or trimming to do. My Buckeyes look like about 30 out of 33 developing. Today was day 7 for me.

 

[kathyinmo]

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50% development ... hmmm, maybe ok IF the eggs are fertile. I don't think it is a good percentage of FERTILE eggs, when purchasing. There's a difference. I'll take 50% hatch rate on shipped eggs okay. But, 50% fertility? No, I don't want to pay for nonfertile eggs.

Recently I purchased eggs ... 12. There were 6 fertile and 6 clear (nonfertile). I got a 100% hatch rate on the 6 fertile eggs. That seller sent me another dozen for free, due to 50% fertilie eggs, .... and he paid the shipping. Another dozen ... this time there were 4 clear, and 8 fertile. i got another 100% hatch rate, and hatched all 8 of those! The second time, he marked the eggs, as to which rooster's pen they came from. Sure enough ... all the nonfertile ones came from the same pen.

 

[Pathfinders]

As someone who has purchased many hatching eggs and shipped quite a few as well, I consider a 50% fertility rate on shipped eggs to be just fine, especially this time of year when it's quite cold.

Fertility is greatly affected by temperature, as well as how the box is treated when it is being shipped. Eggs that are jounced around may lose their fertility, even though they may have started out as fertile. It's not always the fault of the cock bird!

I shipped eggs to one woman last year on the West Coast who was upset that when she candled only 12 of the 18 eggs I sent were fertile. She insisted that my cock bird must have a problem. I told her that I had put eggs in the incubator from that same pen the day before I shipped to her, and all but one was fertile, and it had a blood ring, so it had been fertile at one time. She didn't understand that shipping does take its toll on fertility.

The other thing to remember about hatching eggs is, you're paying for eggs, not chicks. Shipping chicks is much more expensive than eggs, and shipping started birds even more so! I think if I ended up with 7 chicks out of 15 shipped eggs I'd be more than happy. But that's just me...

 

[Germaine_11.20]

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Hmmm, if I find a bullseye in the eggs that didn't develop I don't have a problem with that. They were fertile. However when I crack them open and don't find a bulleye then I do have issues.

That is why most breeders send some extras, because the roos don't always do their job.

On a different note....I candled today and got the final total. 7 eggs are developing, and I am looking forward to hatching them out! I should have a beautiful Buckeye flock

 

[Intheswamp]

Uh, we can't tell fertility just by candling, can we? I mean, the blastoderm/disc doesn't show through the shell. Wouldn't the eggs have to be cracked and the blastoderm/disc inspected to determine if the eggs was fertile? I thought fertility only had to do with whether there was a successful breeding/fertilization...and has nothing to do with shipping, temperature, playing baseball with the egg, etc.,.

I believe James simply stated he was happy with "50% developing" which to me means that he has already discounted shipping conditions/treatment along with fertility. Fertility and viability/hatchability are two different animals, correct?

...am I splitting hairs too much?

What do I know, I don't have a chicken on the place.

Ed

 

[Germaine_11.20]

You lost me there, I am not sure what you are asking or the point you were making.

Fertility and hatchability depend on a fertilized egg. Once in awhile an egg isn't fertile. No you can't tell unless you crack it open and check for a bullseye.

Typically I crack all eggs and check for fertility in the eggs that don't develop. I want to know so then I can let the seller know. Sellers need feedback so they can improve on their flock and sales. I would want to know. It isn't blame, it is fact.

I have some White Rocks incubating and every egg is fertile except one. And each day I put in a new batch of eggs. Each day the same results. So I know that one hen is not getting bred.

If I were to sell these as hatching eggs without knowing who was not fertile I would give plenty of extras to cover that issue and let the buyer know that some will candle clear. Then everyone is on the same page and happy.

 

[kathyinmo]

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Absolutely not acceptable, by me! I pay for 100% fertile eggs, not 50% fertile and 50% eating eggs (or the like).There is a big difference in hatch rate, and fertility rate. I'll accept whatever hatch rate (of fertile eggs) I get. Fertility rate should alway be at or near 100%, or the eggs shouldn't be sold as fertile hatching eggs! So, in saying 50% fertility is acceptable. Then, with 50% hatch rate (average) ... one could only expect 25% of the eggs (in total) to hatch. In that case,

....
<<< I wrote a few paragraphs of my feelings on this issue, but had to edit myself.

I will stick to the above statement alone.>>>

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I just moved eggs from the Sportsman into the hatcher. This is what I have:
10 Silkie feathered Ameraucanas ... 100% fertility and growth
7 Wheaton Marans ... 100% fertility and growth
I am sure hoping for a great hatch from these eggs. They are such pretty colors!

As usual, the color is not exact. The blue eggs are not green, they really are blue. The Wheaton eggs look nice, don't ya think?

I candled the Buckeye eggs. I have 12 fertile and developing, and 14 clear.

 

[JamesA]

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Absolutely not acceptable, by me! I pay for 100% fertile eggs, not 50% fertile and 50% eating eggs (or the like).There is a big difference in hatch rate, and fertility rate. I'll accept whatever hatch rate (of fertile eggs) I get. Fertility rate should alway be at or near 100%, or the eggs shouldn't be sold as fertile hatching eggs!
<<< I wrote a couple paragraphs of my feelings on this issue, but had to edit myself.

I will stick to the above statement alone.>>>

******************************

I just moved eggs from the Sportsman into the hatcher. This is what I have:
10 Silkie feathered Ameraucanas ... 100% fertility and growth
7 Wheaton Marans ... 100% fertility and growth
I am sure hoping for a great hatch from these eggs. They are such pretty colors!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/31282_2-1-10_eggs_009.jpg

As usual, the color is not exact. The blue eggs are not green, they really are blue. The Wheaton eggs look nice, don't ya think?

I candled the Buckeye eggs. I have 12 fertile and developing, and 14 clear.

I think we are misunderstanding what Laura is saying.She is not saying only 50% of eggs at the time of packing the eggs for shipment is exceptable.She is saying that after the PO beats them and throws them around that 50% of these eggs developing is probably the norm.If you did a censor this number would probably be pretty close.Now when they are being packed I would hope that 90% or better are fertile maybe a little less in the winter.Now sometimes you will have a lot better hatches and sometimes a lot less will hatch but I bet the average is around 50%.Take for example Sekinkeads hatch from my eggs.I sent her 14 eggs and she hatched 10 chicks.That is what I consider a great hatch with shipped eggs even what I would consider rare.Now if I set 14 eggs in my dickie incubator that I collected I would expect that many plus a few more everytime.If I ship them half way across the country you never know.If someone sent me 14 eggs from NewYork to Georgia and I ended up with 7 chicks I am perfectly fine with these results.

 

[Pathfinders]

Thanks James, you are right in your interpretation. I guess I wasn't being clear, so I will attempt to clarify my remarks.

When I ship hatching eggs, it is with the intention that each and every egg is fertile. I have 24 hens and 3 cock birds, (one older two younger), and have seen them doing their jobs breeding the hens, so expect the eggs to be fertile. And I pack my eggs with that expectation, that every one I ship is fertile at the time of packing.

However, the rigors of shipment, especially at this time of year, do take its toll. Cold, vibration, just plain handling issues can reduce fertility in an egg that was fertile when it was packed, and which will make it infertile when candled. Not that it never was fertile, but the fertility has been somehow destroyed by handling/temps during shipping.

Kathy, does that make more sense?