Diary & Notes ~ Air Cell Detatched SHIPPED Chicken Eggs for incubation and hatching

[Sally Sunshine]

New hatcher needs advise fast! Chick hatched and in the pic I see blood and they said the yoke exploded.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/744592/day-21-ohmy#post_10471754

OMG that poor chick is filled with infection, blow the pic up! awwww

 

[3Dchicken]

AAHHHHH! So much cuteness!

 

[3Dchicken]

I just received 16 Ancona Duck eggs. They were shipped on Monday from North Dakota (I am in Nebraska) so an acceptable travel time. I just hatched some chicks and my hatch rates seem very low to me so I am now getting technical! I just candled and traced the air cells and I weighed each egg. I have one egg in question...

1) It's blue! (I did not know Anconas could lay a colored egg!) I have yet to contact the seller or research it so if you know it is not an Ancona please let me know.
2) The same egg looks to have two air cells. They are not moving and are located on the large end of the egg. They both look to be a normal size and shape other than they are touching. It does look like they are separate.

The weight of the egg is 86g which makes it the heaviest of the 16 eggs. Is this something I should be concerned about? Right now they are still getting acclimated to room temperature and are in egg cartons waiting to be placed in my Little Giant Incubator with a fan and auto turner. I really struggled with keeping the humidity levels good with my last hatch and so I am trying the tube idea. I am really embarrassed to say that I started with 41 eggs (on my second candling it was obvious all on of my cochins were infertile so there was 9, I had one real stinker and 9 of the others that either were clear, or died). Of the 41 eggs I had 22 still in the incubator during lockdown. I had 10 hatch, 9 are thriving and one that died this morning. (It was the last to hatch and I was surprised it survived this long.) I got 2 BBS Orps, 1 BLRW, and 6 Lavender Orps, the one that died was a Lemon Cuckoo Orp which was the one I wanted most. I never checked air cells. I let them sit till they were room temp then I put the in the bator. I would really like to better my odds. (Or are my odds normal for shipped eggs?)

I don't know anything about duck eggs, but I have to say that your hatch rate was much better than mine. Out of 17 eggs, I hatched only one! (on day 23- 24!)

 

[ozexpat]

I just received 16 Ancona Duck eggs. They were shipped on Monday from North Dakota (I am in Nebraska) so an acceptable travel time. I just hatched some chicks and my hatch rates seem very low to me so I am now getting technical! I just candled and traced the air cells and I weighed each egg. I have one egg in question...

1) It's blue! (I did not know Anconas could lay a colored egg!) I have yet to contact the seller or research it so if you know it is not an Ancona please let me know.
2) The same egg looks to have two air cells. They are not moving and are located on the large end of the egg. They both look to be a normal size and shape other than they are touching. It does look like they are separate.

The weight of the egg is 86g which makes it the heaviest of the 16 eggs. Is this something I should be concerned about? Right now they are still getting acclimated to room temperature and are in egg cartons waiting to be placed in my Little Giant Incubator with a fan and auto turner. I really struggled with keeping the humidity levels good with my last hatch and so I am trying the tube idea. I am really embarrassed to say that I started with 41 eggs (on my second candling it was obvious all on of my cochins were infertile so there was 9, I had one real stinker and 9 of the others that either were clear, or died). Of the 41 eggs I had 22 still in the incubator during lockdown. I had 10 hatch, 9 are thriving and one that died this morning. (It was the last to hatch and I was surprised it survived this long.) I got 2 BBS Orps, 1 BLRW, and 6 Lavender Orps, the one that died was a Lemon Cuckoo Orp which was the one I wanted most. I never checked air cells. I let them sit till they were room temp then I put the in the bator. I would really like to better my odds. (Or are my odds normal for shipped eggs?)

41 eggs
9 infertile
22 locked down
10 hatched.

Not good results but fairly common with shipped eggs and beginners.

Understanding how shipping effects is critical to more successful hatches. My last set of shipped eggs are on day 8. They were shipped big end up (a good thing). I had one rolling air cell and others that are lose. I do not worry about saddling as that seems to sort itself out as the air cell increases in size. The lose ones look like there is water in the egg rather than a thick egg white.

Once settled for a day, I placed them in the incubator inside the egg carton for 4 days. Some recommend longer - others less. After 4 days I started to turn. On day 7 I tossed one clear and twp blood rings. Lots of movement in 8 of the remaining 9. I will eventually go to lock down in an egg carton big end up.

I encourage you to research further and make your own decisions. This is my experience and plan - not instructions for you.

Happy Hatching. I know zero about ducks

 

[ozexpat]

I don't know anything about duck eggs, but I have to say that your hatch rate was much better than mine. Out of 17 eggs, I hatched only one! (on day 23- 24!)

You, 3D, were lucky to get one - you had an incubator without a thermostat.

 

[3Dchicken]

EGGS!!!!!!!



Okay, I learned that most of her hens were delawares, and some of the breeds she knew were ameraucanas, barred rocks, and rhode island reds.

All 12 of them!

The green egg!! (Ameraucana, I presume)

I am going to guess that these are mostly going to be mixed breeds when they hatch. I also went over to one of my neighbor's house (not the one who said they'd give me eggs) to see if they had any eggs, for me, and they didn't today. So they said if they find any in the coop tomorrow, they will call us and save them for me. My other neighbor still hasn't got me eggs yet. I am going to get my mom to call him soon to see if he's going to get me eggs. (cause I can't put more eggs in once they've already started for more than a day at most) I am going to wait until tomorrow to set them in the incubator., which is going to be a difficult task, 'cause I am itching to start incubating!

The eggs are beautiful. I numbered them and candled them. (one of them seems to have a thing shell near the air sac. I can see the spots without a flashlight. One of them is a bit long and wrinkly! (the one beside the egg on the left top corner in the last picture.) XD Some of them look kind of pink.

 

[3Dchicken]

You, 3D, were lucky to get one - you had an incubator without a thermostat.

I still don't.

xD

I actually had one that pipped but died before I even saw it, and one two that were alive, but were sticky chicks and soon died because I kept opening the incubator to feed/pet Hope (Stupid mistake to not have a brooder light ready!

) So I could have had 4. And I also had poor humidity. I hope I can figure that out.

 

[ozexpat]

I still don't.

xD

I actually had one that pipped but died before I even saw it, and one two that were alive, but were sticky chicks and soon died because I kept opening the incubator to feed/pet Hope (Stupid mistake to not have a brooder light ready!

) So I could have had 4. And I also had poor humidity. I hope I can figure that out.

Maybe I am out of my place here - but I actually bent over backwards scouring Canada to help find you eggs so I will speak up anyway.

To incubate eggs without a thermostat is irresponsible. Ok, you did not know the first time, but now you do. In my mind, there is some sort of moral obligation when playing with life.

Please get a thermostat - a hot water heater one is cheap.

 

[Sparkypatriot15]

Meal worms moving right along! Question.... look at the two DIFFERENT BEETLES??? norm?

YAY MEALWORMS!

New hatcher needs advise fast! Chick hatched and in the pic I see blood and they said the yoke exploded. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/744592/day-21-ohmy#post_10471754

Awwww I hope the chick makes it...

I just received 16 Ancona Duck eggs. They were shipped on Monday from North Dakota (I am in Nebraska) so an acceptable travel time. I just hatched some chicks and my hatch rates seem very low to me so I am now getting technical! I just candled and traced the air cells and I weighed each egg. I have one egg in question... 1) It's blue! (I did not know Anconas could lay a colored egg!) I have yet to contact the seller or research it so if you know it is not an Ancona please let me know. 2) The same egg looks to have two air cells. They are not moving and are located on the large end of the egg. They both look to be a normal size and shape other than they are touching. It does look like they are separate. The weight of the egg is 86g which makes it the heaviest of the 16 eggs. Is this something I should be concerned about? Right now they are still getting acclimated to room temperature and are in egg cartons waiting to be placed in my Little Giant Incubator with a fan and auto turner. I really struggled with keeping the humidity levels good with my last hatch and so I am trying the tube idea. I am really embarrassed to say that I started with 41 eggs (on my second candling it was obvious all on of my cochins were infertile so there was 9, I had one real stinker and 9 of the others that either were clear, or died). Of the 41 eggs I had 22 still in the incubator during lockdown. I had 10 hatch, 9 are thriving and one that died this morning. (It was the last to hatch and I was surprised it survived this long.) I got 2 BBS Orps, 1 BLRW, and 6 Lavender Orps, the one that died was a Lemon Cuckoo Orp which was the one I wanted most. I never checked air cells. I let them sit till they were room temp then I put the in the bator. I would really like to better my odds. (Or are my odds normal for shipped eggs?)

Awesome!!!!

EGGS!!!!!!! Okay, I learned that most of her hens were delawares, and some of the breeds she knew were ameraucanas, barred rocks, and rhode island reds. All 12 of them! The green egg!! (Ameraucana, I presume) I am going to guess that these are mostly going to be mixed breeds when they hatch. I also went over to one of my neighbor's house (not the one who said they'd give me eggs) to see if they had any eggs, for me, and they didn't today. So they said if they find any in the coop tomorrow, they will call us and save them for me. My other neighbor still hasn't got me eggs yet. I am going to get my mom to call him soon to see if he's going to get me eggs. (cause I can't put more eggs in once they've already started for more than a day at most) I am going to wait until tomorrow to set them in the incubator., which is going to be a difficult task, 'cause I am itching to start incubating!

The eggs are beautiful. I numbered them and candled them. (one of them seems to have a thing shell near the air sac. I can see the spots without a flashlight. One of them is a bit long and wrinkly! (the one beside the egg on the left top corner in the last picture.) XD Some of them look kind of pink.

HOORAY 3D!!! I put my eggs in on Saturday, but at least were still gonna have hatches within the same week! My chicks are due March 1

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: x2 As long as the double air cell is intact it may have a chance! You typically have a good hatch rate with local eggs?

Shipped eggs your EXTREMELY lucky if you get anything over a 50% hatch unfortunately. I dont know about the coloring of the egg, my ancona were white. What color ancona are you getting? Is this a first for incubating ducks? I just hatched my ducks, did you see them https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/duckling-care-brooder-ideas