Are poor hatches normal on shipped eggs? (Updated Hatching Chart)

[Jeff9118]

I grew up on a farm and have had chickens my entire life. I have never tried shipped eggs until this year. Me and a good buddy decided we would give this a try as he has never done this either. Let me start by saying neither of us are strangers to incubators and have used them for several years. I had four clutches shipped in and my bud has recieved 2 clutches himself. I am useing a sportsman and a hova-bator. My bud decided to use brood hens that he has had great hatches with in the past. So his first set was 18 which he divided between 3 brood hens and added some of his own eggs to each. He had 1 out the 18 shipped hatch and all but one of his own eggs hatched. I had 14 in the sportman and several maran eggs from a friends flock I set for him. I had 4 of the 14 shipped eggs hatch and almost all the marans hatched. Now my next group(shipped) is due on the 9th in the hova-bator. I just candled and only 3 are fully developed and alive. 12 from my flock are in there too and ten of them are fine and due the same day. My buds next set are due on the 10th and I have another set in each bator developing, I hope. If these next 3 sets dont hatch well I think I will be over shipped eggs. From what I have read 50 percent is the norm. Is what we are getting normal or are we doing somthing wrong? The weather was nice for all the shipments and we put them in cartons big end up and let them all rest for 24 hours at around 68 degrees. Also neither of us recieved any damaged or cracked eggs. Is there something we are missing here or overlooked?

Here is where I will post updates. I really had no resources on here like this so this chart is just to show mine and a friend that lives near by experience that we had with shipped eggs. This is in no way intended to deture anyone from ordering shipped eggs but to just give detailed info on a couple other people experiences with shipped eggs. The chart is broken up by breed, Incubation method, State shipped from, # of eggs and what hatched. Again this chart is only intended to help educate the new to shipped eggs people. Keep in mind that others have reported much more positive experiences and luck with shipped eggs. My hopes is that other new members will follow in my footsteps so that we have more resources on this topic. All eggs were shipped during fair weather. I will update the chart with in a couple days of each shipment hatching and this is when I will add new shipments as my bud has a couple more on the way. All eggs were shipped to North-east Kentucky.

Set #1) 18 eggs = 1 chick Buds Brood Hens
Set #2) 14 eggs = 4 chicks Mine Sportsman Incubator
Set #3) 12 eggs = 0 chicks Mine Hova-bator
Set #4) 8 eggs = 4 chicks Buds Brood Hens
Set #5) 8 eggs = 0 chicks Mine Sportsman Incubator
Set #6) 12 eggs = 7 chicks Mine Hova-bator
Set #7) 16 eggs = Still pending Buds Brood Hens
Set #8) 32 eggs = Still pending Mine Hova-bator/Sportman/Brood hen

Breed and Shipping State. All shipped to North-east Kentucky from:
Set #1) Standard Cochins Florida
#2) Standard Orpingtons Alabama
#3) Standard Wyandottes Arkansas
#4) Standard Cochins Georgia
#5) Standard Wyandottes Georgia
#6) Standard Turkens Mississippi
#7) Standard Cochins New York
#8) Standard Orpingtons Georgia

Still awaiting arrival on another set.

 

[Jamie821]

This is what I did and it has helped alot. You cant do anything if the shipped eggs are totally scrambed but my hatch rate went from about 50% to about 90% doing this with shipped eggs. Number one do not put in to incubate until you have let them sit and settle with small end down in a egg carton for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours put in bator and I dont turn them till the next day for the first time. I do not do egg carton hatching unless they are shipped eggs. Shipping makes the air sacs weird shapes and it is easy for the chick to pip into fluid . With shipped eggs I always egg carton hatch but I cut the sides down so the egg is further out of the carton. This helps keep floating air sacs in the top and also keeps the fluid in the egg in the bottom of egg thus less likely to pip into fluid.

 

[chickenfanatic]

veryy common for shiped eggs to produce poor hatches. they could have been shaken or battered and not show signs of it. but its also possible that the post office x-rayed them they do that and man does it mess up things. just a thought.

 

[aberfitch]

it depends on quality of eggs, packing, the shipping, then temp, humidity. So there is a lot of variables. I have had 100 percent down to 10% hatch rates with shipped eggs so you never know untill you have a bad egg or a chick.

 

[speckledhen]

There are alot of variables, certainly. I sent ThreeBoysChicks 19 eggs and every one of them developed and at last count, were still developing. The hatch before that went well for him, too. Sent Tori in AK BBS Orpington eggs and she is having great success with those, too. Doesn't always happen that way, but the health of the breeders combined with proper packaging and some luck with the P.O. make for better hatches on shipped eggs, providing the incubation process goes well.

 

[jimnjay]

It depends where you live too. Some of the larger cities with more modern equipment are rougher on eggs than others. I have shipped eggs from my small rural post office, much like Speckledhen's and I have had people get 90+ % hatch rates. I have had them go to California and they often report less than 20% with eggs from the same group of chickens. Xray will mess up the hatches and that happens often. If you have expensive eggs you are concerned about them ship Express mail they do get more gentle handling. It is expensive but if you spend lots of money for eggs and you really want those to hatch it is worth the extra.

 

[conny63malies]

It is totally unpredicitable. I had zero fertility and and 100% fertility. 0 on some EE and 100% on showgirls that were shipped less than 100miles. I am happy with a 50% -60% on shipped eggs.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

delete

 

[ke_ben]

First test hatch of my own "mutts" (see avatar eggs) was 13/13; 2nd of white legorn, RIR, and araucana was 43/48 with 5 not developing (from neighbor); 3rd I got all cocky (pardon the pun) and went for eBay (before I knew about you guys, sorry) and bought 8+ Welsummers (received 12, but 1 broken) and 6 RI Whites (1 broken), and hatched 8 Welsummers (1 died, 2 didn't pip and I had a hard time candling those DARK eggs) and 5 RIW. Those eggs traveled across the country, but the ones from IA were supposed to have been 6 barred rocks, 6 delaware, and 12 barnyard + 2 "bonus purebred" eggs. I only got 20 eggs (2 broken, 4 didn't develope, you do the math) and I think that I ended up with 2 barred rocks?, 3 EE's, 6 furry footed black somethings

, and the jury is still out on the last 3. I'm giving them another day, but judging by shell color, more feather footed. I don't think they are going to make it. I'm still looking for the Delawares and I can't see them for all the black.

That just my experience, good and bad

, for what it's worth. I think the last one was a lot of who they came from more than shipping and handling. He is supposed to send me the other 6 still, we'll see.

 

[KYBOY]

I have been told by a couple of different postal workers that packages marked "Live" will usually be handled easier..I mark all mine "Live Embryo's" hatching eggs", "do not xray, protect from heat and cold"...Now I know for certain that my local PO is very careful with my eggs, now from there on ???
I will say that I wrap mine just like this and have had absolutly no reports of broken eggs and great hatch rates besides
Knock on wood

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=17-wrapping-packing-eggs