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- #41
NOT the news I wanted, but know is true.... I need a miracle, but hey they happen right?ok, read most posts....this is my experience over the past 5 years and over a thousand(maybe two) invested in eggs. There is no reason whatsoever to let eggs sit when you get them UNLESS they are cold (which will cause condensation on the eggs), even then I only let them sit a few hours. To let them settle- I set them in a carton, air cell up, in the bator and don't turn for the first 3 days. Waiting and letting them sit on a counter just makes them another day older in my opinion, which just reduces hatchability.
as far as the dislodged air cells, I have set dozens of these and have NEVER had ANY hatch. I have had saddle cells(air cell that travels down side of egg but still stuck at one end) hatch with minimal problems. An air cell that travels all the way to the small end of the egg is dislodged and will not hatch IMO, it may start to develop but will die by day 14 (again, my experience).
I candle all eggs when I get them and assess how large the air cell is, larger the cell...the older the egg(humidity can also factor in here). The older eggs dislodge easier as well with the extra room and impact.
I try not to buy eggs from down south unless I know the breeder. If eggs are only collected once a day there is more chance that the ambient temp will cause the egg to start developing and then it will die during shipping. I have had this happen quite a few times, and sometimes some very expensive eggs. These eggs have a distinct look to me, although hard to put in print. I mark these eggs just to see and none of those develop either.
I take a scientific approach to many things in my life and this is no different. For the first couple of years I kept records of everything to try to improve my hatches. I have also learned that adding an frozen ice pack to the eggs isn't always a good idea either (temps get too low and reduce hatchability). I haven't tried a refrigerator pack yet though.
my final thoughts? If I REALLY want a certain breed/variety then I will try to find a breeder to ship me chicks and will then quarantine the chicks when they get here. If that is not possible then I will try eggs. I bought 9 eggs a couple of months ago for $120 for down south, couple of the eggs looked like they had started developing before shipping and only a couple of the eggs even started developing. One chick hatched and had problems and subsequently died. I contacted the breeder and was surprised by the rude answer I got. I have found many people are in this for $$, I don't care what they spout off saying preservation, etc... for the same price I got 3 pullets shipped to my house, just find the right people
don't get me wrong, I LOVE hatching...but I will only hatch my own and eggs I will trade for
if you are looking for a certain breed, find a breeder, don't buy from a broker (hatchery).....just my 2 cents
