Do shipped eggs really hatch?

[Akane]

USPS tracking is a joke. I had one package still say they were waiting to even receive it (that message about being informed of a package and nothing else) when it was sitting on my steps. I was beginning to wonder if the person wasn't sending it until the next week. It arrived on sat and finally said delivered when they updated on Monday. Most of their tracking info is at least 1 city behind but generally it's not even accurate to the area of the country and there isn't an estimated arrival date. It's pretty worthless unless I'm out of town and want to have an idea if there is a package already sitting at my house. They usually do stay up to date on when it was already delivered aside from a few exceptions like I mentioned. So I can at least call someone to put the package inside for me after I see it's been delivered. As for knowing when it will be delivered or even where it's at until it's delivered their tracking is not the least bit helpful.

But remember, this isn't really about making our lives easier, anyway. It's intent is to give your hatching eggs the best chance at surviving the trip to you ans prvoding you with good hatches. If it means you gotta get up an hour early or go to the P.O. at lunch break, well, so it goes.

It's not an hour early for me. It's like telling you to get up at 3am to pickup a box of eggs. For chicks I might but it's one of the reasons I don't order chicks. For eggs and how often I get shipments of eggs no way. I can't fall back to sleep after that either so it would be a night of a couple hours of sleep and would probably greatly impact my college grades and my work. More and more people are not working a standard hour job and I was actually talking to several computer programmers (the degree I'm currently working on) who's companies allow them to come to work and leave pretty much whatever time they feel like it provided they put in so many hours a day. You really need to keep others situations in mind when setting up things like this. It caused a huge problem here just because the person did not check and also really frustrated everyone at my local post office so they have been less helpful on future packages.​

 

[gamebirdsonly]

It seems the post office has been a little rougher on eggs I have gotten this year then last year. Most of my hatches have been fair to poor. With the exception of 3 batches Ended up with alot of Turkens. Last year I had a couple 100% hatch, this year Highest 70%.

 

[Davaroo]

Akane,
As I said, the tracking is approximate - there are no absolutes and no one can promise you everything will be handed to you as you see fit. But, having the current knowledge is better than say, 15 years ago, when there was nothing. While you may not see it from your particular vantage point, we really have advanced.

Do keep in mind that while admonishing me to think of others, you are talking about yourself and your own situation exclusively.
What I have given is what has worked for many, with the technology available. Is it a 'magic bullet' or always convenient to you, personally? Maybe not.

But sometimes we have to get up early or take a call we dont wan't to, so that we may progress.

Just think, when you become a computer programmer, you can pick up your eggs whenever it suits you.


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Now, I wonder if the P.O. has changed something in their handling of packages? As gamebirdsonly says, as well as others, they seem to have gotten worse.
This is bad, since Im sending for some eggs next week!

 

[MagsC]

I have had both good and bad hatches from shipped eggs. Right now I have a hatch going, so far two have hatched. The verdict is out on the rest yet! My best was someone who shipped from my home state(99 percent hatch) my worst were from MI and FL. Not one chick.
I also placed 3 Buff Orpington eggs in the incubator this week. It will be a miracle if those hatch. Out of a dozen, there were 3 that werent crushed. Plus it was priority from WI to MN but took a week.

 

[wanda047]

I receivegd 7 eggs from shelleyd2008 in Kentucky. These were shipped to Arkansas. I hatched 6 out of 7 in a LG incubator. I was elated.

So to answer your question, do shipped eggs really hatch.... in my experience... absolutely!

However, I have several batches of eggs in two incubators now which have also been shipped from several different states, including some from you Houndit. I've already culled several from these sets of eggs (blood rings, infertile, etc.). The biggest issue has been the air sacs being abnormal. So far, though it appears that the majority will hatch. They'll start hatching on Tuesday, so we'll see how they go. I think the further they are shipped and the longer they remain in transit, the less your chance of hatching successfully.

 

[ChanceRider]

After reading about the varying success of hatching shipped eggs I feel SO much better about my recent first hatch. I bought 13 turkey eggs from an eBay seller who packaged the eggs extremely well and marked the box "fragile" and "eggs". Needless to say when the box arrived it looked as though the post office decided to play soccer with the box. One corner of the (very sturdy cardboard) box was completely bashed in. When I saw that I thought there was no hope for the eggs. None of the eggs were broken, so after letting them sit for 24 hrs, I tossed them in my brand new Brinsea Eco 20, and crossed my fingers. This was my first experience incubating eggs... I'm sure you can imagine my elation when I wound up with 6 beautiful and lively turkey poults!

I'm ready to give shipped turkey eggs another try. Unfortuneatly I haven't found anyone local (Sacramento, CA area) with the turkey eggs I want, so I'll have to get shipped eggs. Sheesh, after my first try at incubating eggs I'm hooked and am currently suffering from empty 'bator syndrome.

 

[pondguy2004]

I tend to get better hatches from short shipped eggs(100 to 200 miles), over long shipped. Last hatch (attempted hatch) 1 egg pipped out of about 30. They all came from my back yard, but then there was that lightening strike that sounded like it was within 100 yards of the house when the eggs had been in the bator about 11/2 weeks. Always heard that could kill a hatch, now I think I'll believe it! Still have a hatch that had been in the bator a day or 2 when it struck. We'll see next tues. on that one.

 

[IggiMom]

I have not been at this long at all, and the only shipped eggs I have had so far only 1 out of 18 hatched.

That said, there is another problem with getting live birds and that is disease. Not so much from the hatcheries, because those little birds live in pretty sterile conditions, but if you go to someone else's farm, you do run a chance of picking up something if only lice.

I had a bad experience once, and it sort of made me not want to go get live birds again, unless it was someplace that I knew was ok.

And this could happen even with someone who was a breeder and careful, because perhaps they take their birds to shows, which is a great place to pick up problems.

I have some shipped eggs coming, I do hope to do better at it.

Gosh it must work sometimes or all those eggs offered for sale, surely people would stop buying them if they never hatch?

I hope so anyway, because this seems like such a fun hobby, hatching eggs.

Although I guess I could hunt for eggs to go get and just travel to get them.

I have some of the same fears about animal activists managing to get it illegal to ship chicks. They have been wildly successful in some other areas.

 

[Bettacreek]

I think that most people forget that there is a major difference between delivery confirmation and tracking. Tracking can ONLY be purchased on Express shipments. The bright green sticker is a Delivery Confirmation number and can be purchased for any of the USPS deliveries. If you are not shipping Express, or if you only have a bright green sticky, then you are NOT getting tracking, so only expect a date, time and location of acceptance and delivery.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Good point. I know I got them confused {{{{{{{blushing }}}}}}}}