Eggs are here :)Paganbirds and MagsC's hatching thread!!UpdateMarch16!

[sonew123]

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want nervouness? I was candeling days ago and I was candeling a silkie egg-you know how smallthey are? I was placing it on my candeler and inside the candeler it went! totally inside! I unplugged the candeler and it took me 15 minutes of slowly and gently trying to manuver it back out-which I finally did and put it back in bator-it was moving inside but I put an x on it so I know which egg I snafood on to see if it is still growing:-( what a ding dong!!!

 

[MagsC]

Ack!!!

I could just imagine a silkie egg doing that!!!! With flashlight we use, one of us holds the flashlight and the other one holds the egg over it. I usually get saddled with the latter,lol.

 

[Paganbird]

I just candled again... here's my tally so far:
Salmon faverolles - Set 9 eggs on 1/10. On day 5 I candled & saw 2 clears and a bloodring. Toady is day 14. I have 6 eggs left. I saw movement in 3 of them, but it looks like I may have lost the other 3.

My silkie sizzle mix (set 10 on the same day as the SFs) I had a bloodring in one the first week, but the other 9 have confirmed movement.
Duck Eggs - set 8 eggs on 1-22. 4 clears, 4 with good veining.
The mixed pure breed eggs that were shipped - I set 12 on 1/22. Threw away 4 the first week 'cause they were stinky. Threw away 2 more stinkies today. Only one cochin egg developed... but I can see the chick moving!
CrescentWood eggs - my ladies' eggs - I set 30 (in ten sets of 3) on 1/22. Today, I saw one definite bloodring, one possible bloodring, and one that looks clear. That's 27/30.
Totals...
Shipped chicken eggs: 4/22 - 18%
Shipped duck eggs: 4/8 - 50%
Eggs from my farm: 37/41 - 90%
My deduction: Shipping eggs in colder weather lowers my hatch rate.

Shipping is so rough on eggs. I have a bunch of damaged air cells. The duck eggs are the worst, but they also travelled the shortest distance. Hatching shipped eggs can be pretty disheartening if it doesn't work out as well as hoped.
I was really hoping for the BLRWs to hatch... but they show no development at all.

 

[TattooQ27]

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So for my future reference, is there anything that you think I could have done different to ensure that you got a better hatch rate? Would it have been better if I had written fragile or hatching eggs on the box or is this just how it is with shipped eggs? I hope all 4 of the duckies keep growing for you!

 

[MagsC]

I candled duck eggs last night as well. In my admittedly limited talent with candling, this is how it went.
Of the mixed eggs, three out of five have veins and two are inconclusive, they dont stink, nor or they clear so not throwing them.
With the chicken eggs, I have tried but I have so many darks that as I have stated, its difficult for me to tell. All four of Phoenix's eggs have veining, one of the white eggs and the other looks like it might?
I dont have anything stinking yet or discolored so leaving everything in for the time being. I suppose I am always hoping and like to give things a chance unless its absolutely not going to happen.

Tattoo, I have heard different things about shipping eggs. Some people say you SHOULD put fragile, hatching eggs on the box. Others say no because there are some people that will then use the box as a football.

I suppose if it was me, I would put "fragile" but maybe not put the eggs part?
I think with shipped eggs its typically a gamble. Sometimes they do okay, sometimes not. I have had both great and poor hatches from shipped eggs.

 

[MuranoFarms]

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Ducks take a week longer to hatch, so give it a few more days to see development.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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So for my future reference, is there anything that you think I could have done different to ensure that you got a better hatch rate? Would it have been better if I had written fragile or hatching eggs on the box or is this just how it is with shipped eggs? I hope all 4 of the duckies keep growing for you!

I wrote "Hatching Eggs" "Live Eggs" "Please Handle With Care" and "Fragile" all over the box from the SF's I sent her, and if they are gonna throw a box, they're gonna throw it, it really doesn't seem to make a difference with some USPS workers. However, I've had other eggs I've shipped do better, so maybe it all depends on who's handling the boxes

...I will always write it, just to make a point.

 

[MagsC]

Yep, I have hatched ducks before, just never candled this early.
Cloverleaf is right, its whoever is handling the boxes. Sigh.

 

[TattooQ27]

Bummer. Perhaps I will try at least writing fragile in the future. I know my postal carrier wouldn't give a care if I wrote that there were human babies in the box....she is just not a pleasant person in general.

 

[Paganbird]

As MagsC can tell you, I wrote "Fragile - Live Embryos" all over her box. We'll see how they do.
Mags... how do your aircells look? All of the shipped eggs I got this time had damaged air cells. Worse than usual. This is the first time I've had eggs shipped to me in cold weather. Do you think that is what made the difference?
I'm trying to figure it out.
CloverLeaf... I kept all 6 of the eggs in the 'bator, just in case I was missing something. I really hope I didn't lose them. I definitely saw movement in 3 of them. I separated the other 3 for "observation" before I give up on them. I am soooo excited for these chicks! Regardless of how many hatch, I would like to get a few more eggs when the weather warms up. I just love the breed so much, I think I want to start my own flock.
Tattoo... in my opinion, the larger the egg - the rougher shipping is on them. My 4/8 is pretty good. 50% is a reasonable expectation on shipped eggs. I have never had luck hatching shipped peafowl eggs. I'm hoping the aircells won't cause any issues for this hatch. It will be exciting to see the ducklings & guess who the parents are!