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

[missnu01]

Well 17/18 hatched. The remaining one seems to be doing alright, has a large hole, but is just hanging out. Peeled back a little membrane but it started to bleed. So I guess it isn't ready yet. I wrapped it in a damp paper towel and put it back in the bator... I'll go back in a few and see if I can get them out

 

[TMNfarm]

Hi TMN ! 

first you know I will throw a ton of questions!

what breed and whats up with fertility? shipped or your own?

My second hatch was a test batch for someone else, so the fertility issue was not a surprise. For the Easter hatch, many were mine and it was a test hatch for my VERY young roo... One of his was the only one to hatch, but only 2 developed out of 13i set. The other fertility issue was with my mystery swap eggs that were shipped to me. Out of 8 Silkie and 4 Serama eggs, only 2 silkies even started developing, and one developed a blood ring by day 10. The other tone made it to lockdown along with the one of men that hatched and the other one of mine that didn't. This hatch are shipped Am eggs. Out or 10, 6 went into lockdown...

did you eggtopsy eggs from the last batch? what were your results?

I have opened all of the ones that wet to lockdown and didn't hatch. For the Easter hatch, the Silkie looks like it quit around lockdown. The chick from my egg was fully developed and never pipped, however, that is the egg I found out I had been incubating upside down until day 16! Don't ask me how that happened... I'm still trying to figure it out!!

For the NYD hatch, I had several that I needed to assist, but I think I opened the bator too many times and shrinkwrapped some of them. Some of the assisted chicks made it, and some I waited too long. One literally stopped breathing as I was taking it out of the bator to assist. They were all fully developed. Some never internally pipped, some never externally pipped, and there were a couple that externally pipped, then quit.

calibration was done on thermometers and Hygros?

I have not calibrated, but I had 2 hygros and 3 thermometers in the bator. The hygros in the bator read the same, but different than the hygro on the top of the genesis. The thermometers read the same.

your not high altitude right?

Nope... Northern MN... Only high altitude here is the top of the iron ore mine dumps!

you have read the humidity section in the hatching 101 article? do you weigh or watch air cells for weight loss?

I have. I tried the dry incubating, and I was concerned that was the problem. This time, I have duck eggs and turkey eggs in for my staggered hatch, so I'm keeping the humidity higher. Shooting for 50%. I haven't weighed the eggs, maybe I need to start. I have watched air cells and as far as ,y inexperienced eye can tell, they seem to be right where they are supposed to. A couple for the easter hatch had saddle shaped cells. They didn't make it...

I have my bator at work, which keeps me a bit more hands off during lockdown. I worried that I opened it too many times to assist for the Easter hatch, so this lockdown, I haven't touched it. I even assisted through the vent holes! But I have to open it today to take the chick out. She hatched on Wednesday.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I have a question for you hatchers..I set 24 Marans mixed eggs on the 22nd of march. All different hens with Marans roosters...anyway 4 of the eggs were infertile and 2 died aroun days 2-3...so 18 eggs were locked down on the 9th, and this morning at 6 am I awoke to the sound of peeping..thought maybe oh a chick is far enough along for me to hear it..and I go look to see a chick stumbling around, and that most of the eggs are pipped...so I spend all day watching for the eggs to hatch...now 15 have hatched and the remaining 3 are pipped, 2 are pipped with small holes one has a big hole that it can fit most of its head through...it seems content to just look out and doesn't appear to be in zipping position, but anyway...do I have to wait for these last 3 eggs to hatch? Or can I remove some of the dry chicks to the brooder? I I should leave them in the bator I will...but if its alright to remove them I would like to

CONGRATS! Your temps have run a tad high but what works works right? if they are dry you can remove them! If you want you can mist the side or top of the bator just not eggs, don't want babies to drown! pssss they don't exist until we see them fuzz butts!! CONGRATS again!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: ok Quakertown is that near Allentown or wrong direction!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Thanks guys. Only 2 eggs left... Taking forever...

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

and Sally is a day late and dollar short as the listing WASNT changed on mine!

 

[chicknfun]

An open letter to egg shippers

Dear Sir/Madam

I am excited about our business arrangement and look forward to your eggs arriving here in the best possible condition. While I am sure you have had plenty of experience shipping eggs, I have had vast experience receiving eggs. Many of those I have received have failed miserably. I would like to share what I feel is the ideal way to receive eggs.

1. Eggs must be fresh. By that I mean that they should be less than 3 days. It takes 3 days for USPS to get the eggs from you to me and then they need to rest for 24 hours. Any eggs over 3 days old when shipped will be over 7 days old when I get them into my incubator. (when I negotiate for shipped eggs that I am going to take overseas I only buy from sellers that can collect the day before and the day of posting). Also remember that the older the egg the larger the air cell so the more damage. Please never ship me an egg laid on a Wednesday.

2. Please label the eggs before you wrap them. You may only have one breed of birds but I may be buying several orders at one and sometimes I have to look up the shipping label to reference in order to find out who they came from and what breed they are. I am always impressed when the date laid is also on there. A lead pencil or non-toxic marker such as a sharpie are great. One shipper also included a letter code for the different pens. This was great as I could then provide feedback to the shipper about the hatch rates from different pens.

3. Packing. I prefer the skyline method. http://www.skylinepoultry.com/Packing___shipping_eggs.html using bubble wrapped individual eggs and have them sit large end up. Use lots of shredded paper or styro peanuts to fill the voids between, above and below the eggs. Then place them in a second box with the same material padding. This will minimized impact damage. Lots of heavy and odd shaped items will be in the same trucks as these precious lives. Alternatively, ship with foam inserts available from www.texaspoultry.com. I personally use these to ship eggs overseas. They are more costly but the best solution I have found.

4. Shipping. Never ship on Thursday. That will guarantee you will give me old eggs. The best shipping days are Saturdays, Monday and Tuesday. This gives the post office wiggle room to mess up the shipment and still get here with time to salvage. A Wednesday and Thursday shipments are risky. Fridays are OK but occasionally the USPS can get eggs here in 2 days and Friday shipments remove that possibility.


5. Ask me if it is my preference to pick them up at the post office (reducing handling) or not. Some of who work cannot get to the post office. Others would prefer less handled eggs.

6. Ship me what I buy. Yesterday I got a shipment of advertised as 16+ Ameraucana Buff and Ameraucana eggs. 10 were brown. When I contacted the seller he said that they were not buff colored Ameraucanas but Ameraucana rooster over Buff Orpington hens. This is deceptive and I demanded a refund for the whole sale. 6 blue eggs will not help for me at all.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: I have only had two like this, one lived assisted the other I didn't catch on time!
READ IN RED from the HATCHING 101 Article below..... and go to article for a ton more info

CANDLING & WEIGHING EGGS
​

​

Understanding the Air Cell​

The average chicken egg has thousands of pores running through the shell allowing the embryo to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Water is also lost through these pores. Soon after an egg is laid, a small air bubble or “air cell” forms in the large end of the egg from this water loss. Humidity levels in the incubator determine moisture evaporation during the 21 days of incubation and hatching. The air cell is crucial for the chick to break out of the egg shell at the end of the incubation period. The chick can drown if the air cell is too small or the chick may be retarded in growth if the air cell is too large. This is why maintaining the proper humidity is crucial. Slightly lower humidity levels are more likely to be less disastrous than slightly higher humidity levels.

​

 

[Sally Sunshine]

So my broody duck had two healthy babies in the nest throughout the day but we just checked the nest and there was one that was out but had the egg attached and its navel was all distended another egg had one side completely crushed on one side where it had pipped and started zipping it was already dead. So I took the live one with the distended belly & put him in his egg in a Tupperware and in the bator. His belly has already shrunk about 1/3. Gonna wait til morning and hopefully it will be better. This crazy runner ducks hatch has been a nightmare! I really thought I would get sleep tonight after only getting 4hours the last two night with the other two of her eggs I had to assist.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Well 17/18 hatched. The remaining one seems to be doing alright, has a large hole, but is just hanging out. Peeled back a little membrane but it started to bleed. So I guess it isn't ready yet. I wrapped it in a damp paper towel and put it back in the bator... I'll go back in a few and see if I can get them out

again pics or they don't exist LOL