Adventures in Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Rose Quartz]

Why do you think your eggs failed so badly? My eggs from Papa's usually do pretty well.


I would expect that the eggs sent from the other side of the country are initially moved by air from hub to hub.

I am sorry, it can be totally heartbreaking. Can you describe your incubating process in detail? Maybe there is something going on that we can help with. I try only to have eggs shipped from states that are on Oregon's borders to hopefully minimize shipping stress. This is not always the case however, but it helps.

K thanks I'm hoping to get some shipped eggs soon, but I don't know which would be better by air 3 days or by ground 7 - 10 days. My gut is telling me to have them sent by air. I just wasn't sure if it would cause problems.

 

[Morrigan]

I am done with shipped eggs. Twenty three days nothing.

Oh no! Where did you get them from and how far was the shipping?

 

[oregonkat]

K thanks I'm hoping to get some shipped eggs soon, but I don't know which would be better by air 3 days or by ground 7 - 10 days. My gut is telling me to have them sent by air. I just wasn't sure if it would cause problems.

The viability of fertilized eggs drops dramatically when they are 7 days old. Depending on where you are getting these eggs, and how long they have been stored before shipping you are seriously gambling your success rate by using ground 7 - 10days. The shippers usually use Priority shipping which is a 3 day guarantee to the furthest states. Talk to the breeder, ask how old the oldest eggs will be when they ship (hope they are telling the truth) and get them to mark the box in colored highlighter that they are hatching eggs, super fragile, no x-ray, no freezing, etc. etc. and get them to ship Priority. Good luck!

 

[Zinjifrah]

The viability of fertilized eggs drops dramatically when they are 7 days old. Depending on where you are getting these eggs, and how long they have been stored before shipping you are seriously gambling your success rate by using ground 7 - 10days. The shippers usually use Priority shipping which is a 3 day guarantee to the furthest states. Talk to the breeder, ask how old the oldest eggs will be when they ship (hope they are telling the truth) and get them to mark the box in colored highlighter that they are hatching eggs, super fragile, no x-ray, no freezing, etc. etc. and get them to ship Priority. Good luck!

This. Both of my shipments have been by Priority Mail, which means they traveled by air part of the way. The first one was beautifully marked, just as described above. The current batch I was expecting to be the same... and even my post office was flabbergasted when they finally found it - I meet the packages at the post office, since I live very rural and it would take all day to get to me on bouncy roads otherwise - because when I said 'hatching eggs' they went looking for a clearly marked box. The seller hadn't marked it fragile or anything like that - they just wrote 'Eggs' in black sharpie on the top of the box. However, I am currently on day 13 with 13 out of 22 still doing well.

 

[Rose Quartz]

The viability of fertilized eggs drops dramatically when they are 7 days old. Depending on where you are getting these eggs, and how long they have been stored before shipping you are seriously gambling your success rate by using ground 7 - 10days. The shippers usually use Priority shipping which is a 3 day guarantee to the furthest states. Talk to the breeder, ask how old the oldest eggs will be when they ship (hope they are telling the truth) and get them to mark the box in colored highlighter that they are hatching eggs, super fragile, no x-ray, no freezing, etc. etc. and get them to ship Priority. Good luck!

I trust her. I asked her to send by air. MO, USA to NS CAN. It's a long way. I'm hoping it all works out. I haven't tried to hatch shipped before, but if even one hatches I'll be happy.

 

[Morrigan]

It's stressful with shipped eggs. There is whole, big variable that is completely outside your control.

Excited and nervous to candle mine in a couple of days.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

It's Day 18 - Lockdown Day - for my shipped eggs from Papa's... except there's only one viable egg left (Lemon Orp), and it's under a new broody. I would normally candle, but I think I'll just leave her alone for the next few days, and hope for the best.

Or, maybe I should move her and the egg to a smaller coop within the run? I'm afraid that one of the big hens might make trouble, or that a nest box is too high up to be safe for a little chick. However, I'm also concerned that moving her might break the broody spell.

What to do?

In the meanwhile, it's Day 4 for my large batch of shipped eggs in the incubator, which means I can start hand-turning now.

I waited for the hen in the coop to start hatching eggs, I stayed in the coop all day to make sure the chicks stayed by mom, then once it was dark, DH and I moved hen, chicks and unhatched eggs to broody cage. Next morning the hen was off the nest with 7 chicks in tow and 1 pipped egg in the nest, which we brought in the house and let It hatch on it's own with a heating pad. We put that chick under mom that night making a total of 8 chicks for her, no problems when she woke up to find 8 instead of 7 chicks running around her private coop and run. Good luck.

 

[adtillma1]

I will join you guys in my incubation adventure of shipped eggs! Right now I am on day 13 of a set of shipped Beielfedler eggs. It will be interesting to see how this hatch turns out being that this is my first experience with this particular egg seller and for the first time I haven't candled the eggs. I guess I am just crossing my fingers and wishing for the very best.

 

[oregonkat]

I meet the packages at the post office, since I live very rural and it would take all day to get to me on bouncy roads otherwise

This is exactly the same as my situation. I have the packages held in the next small town post office for me because otherwise the eggs spend another whole day getting to me 6 miles away! One of my last egg shipments came from a breeder in my own state, box very nicely packaged but with the word 'fragile' written in the tiniest handwriting, once, on the top of the box. Needless to say, I got a lousy 20% hatch. I wont be ordering from them again..

 

[Morrigan]

My possibly broody sussex greeted me this morning by doing the broody puffed-up thing and giving me a few clucks. She's been on the nest for the last 5 hours, so I'm holding my breath. I would love for her to raise whatever hatches from these eggs.