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

[Arielle]

Shipped eggs are the harderst to hatch. I bought eggs from reputable BYC'ers hote for goode hatch rates and I ony hatched 5 chicks out of about 25 eggs. I was upset too at the time even though I knew this was possible.

I check the development of the air cell during the incubation to verify that the humidity level I'm using is right and I do dry hatch methods: THe RH varies, sometimes a lot. My goal is 30-35%, but Like I said it fluctuates so the air cell development is key. Let me find the links for you.

ChooksChick's Incubation Cheat-Sheet ROCKS!!!

How To Incubate & Hatch Eggs Using The "Dry Incubation" Method - BackYard Chickens Community

Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html

 

[aveca]

what happens is that when you lay shipped eggs on thier sides at lockdown, ...unless the air cell has healed and stable...the air cellmight run down the side of the egg and just be harder for the chick to find upon which time it will drown..especially if they are rolling around in ther

 

[Sharksandguitars]

how do I tell what the humidity is in my bator?

 

[Jungleexplorer]

how do I tell what the humidity is in my bator?

I have a weather station that has a wireless outdoor sensor that measures temp and humidity. I simply put the wireless sensor in my bator and I could monitor the temp and humidity from my weather station.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

what happens is that when you lay shipped eggs on thier sides at lockdown, ...unless the air cell has healed and stable...the air cellmight run down the side of the egg and just be harder for the chick to find upon which time it will drown..especially if they are rolling around in ther

Then that was my mistake; I laid my eggs on there side. I read countless pages on how to incubate eggs and none said anything about how to keep the eggs upright after taking them out of the turner. Dumbfounding!

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Here is a question. How should the eggs be place in the turner? Pointy end down or fat end down?

 

[OkChickens]

Here is a question. How should the eggs be place in the turner? Pointy end down or fat end down?

Small end down.

Nate

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Shipped eggs are the harderst to hatch. I bought eggs from reputable BYC'ers hote for goode hatch rates and I ony hatched 5 chicks out of about 25 eggs. I was upset too at the time even though I knew this was possible.

I check the development of the air cell during the incubation to verify that the humidity level I'm using is right and I do dry hatch methods: THe RH varies, sometimes a lot. My goal is 30-35%, but Like I said it fluctuates so the air cell development is key. Let me find the links for you.

ChooksChick's Incubation Cheat-Sheet ROCKS!!!

How To Incubate & Hatch Eggs Using The "Dry Incubation" Method - BackYard Chickens Community

Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.html

Thanks for the links. The first one led to a page of another forum and I could not find anything about a cheat-sheet, but the second about the dry method was very informative, but a little confusing. First, he says to lay the eggs on their side on day 18 and others say this is a no no. Second, he talks about adding a tea spoon of water at a time but not opening the bater for days. My bater is a forced air design and burns through a cup of water every few days. I live in a dry desert climate with the average humidity of 20 to 30%. He also suggest dedicating a room that you can keep at a controlled humidity level of 50%. This is very confusing because he calls this a dry method, but it requires a room humidity level of 50%. Why not just keep the bator at 50%. I don't get it. I mean, if I were going to hatch eggs for a living it would make sense to build a special room just for egg hatching where I could regulate the humidity, but how do we apply this method for the small scale user?

There was a lot of good info in there, but I need a guide for my situation.

 

[The Chickeneer]

I had 75% hatch rate once, with a 111 dergees spike during lockdown, and with 99% humidity lol. Of cource I didn't mean for all this to happen, it was accidental, but they hatched ok

. Just like someone else here said, try hatching some cheapy eggs first before you do the expensive ones(a good example of cheap eggs is the fertile eggs from Trader Joe's search it on the forum) I'm planing on putting in some TJ eggs in myself, since I've heard so many things about people who've hatched them. I hope the other two eggs hatch, you can leave them in there up to day 26, don't exactly know what day it is for you now.....good luck

 

[cva34]

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

Please do not give the MAD BOMBER any hints.... If I were Mail people thats the first box I would X_RAY.....cva34