Fertility in purchased eggs??

[pottersway]

Help!! I recently purchased eggs for hatching from two different breeders. Both sent extra eggs, but I have had a large percent that weren't fertile.
Is this normal?? Can shipping damage the eggs?
None were broken.
Just curious about experiences from others.

thanks,
silkie mom

 

[halo]

How do you know they werent fertile?

 

[chickNjake]

fertility is being fertilized by a rooster,
but yes. Shipping very often affects eggs causing them not to develop or hatch, which is the postal service's fault (telling them that wont help anything though) and not the breeder.
hope I helped!

-Jake

 

[silkiechicken]

Shipping can do lots of damage to eggs. Even if they weren't broken, they can get too hot, too cold, and basically end up killing the little blastocyst that could have been.

 

[horsejody]

I would bet that they were fertile but damaged in shipping. I did 2 batches of shipped eggs earlier this year. On the first batch 5 out of 12 hatched. On the second batch 14 out of 15 hatched. It's a gamble.

 

[what was i thinking]

i got some shipped eggs that didn't develop and i opened them and they weren't fertile. i have never had zero develop on shipped eggs except these.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

It is a gamble. Just think about about what a package goes through. Temperatures, banging and dropping, delays...

Then , how do you know they were fertile to begin with?

Although..I made a frittatta (sp) for Christmas breakfast and 12 of 12 eggs were fertile. That's my secret...wouldn't mention it to the kids.

 

[pottersway]

Thanks to all who answered - this is my first time with a bator - I have been so careful - but the comments about shipping - temps, etc totally make sense!!

I can't wait for my new chicks!! I'll post pics soon.

You guys are great!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Getting eggs in the mail in fall or spring is probably the best. Fertility is highest in times where the birds are less stressed, there are no sub zero hours or days spent in a truck or on a loading dock, or heat so hot it cooks the eggs. I have a package that has been sitting at UPS for 10 days because of the snowy weather. Anything alive or eggs would have been goners by now.

 

[davidb]

They were probably damaged in shipping