First incubation looks like epic fail....:(

[cvstable]

So, I have been so excited, ordered some lavender, blue/black and buff O's (arranged to have shippers send so eggs arrived on same day). Borrowed a foam bator, bought a turner. Monitored temp with 2 thermometers and a humidity reader. Read lots of BYC threads, recalculated 21 days 2100 times. Candled last night and probably only 25-30% eggs are measuring at a viable date. Most look as though they were fertilized but never progressed. Had a couple days where humidity dropped and I added more water humidity jumped up to 70% for a while. Think I drowned them? Several may have not been fertile or damaged in shipment. So disappointed, was hoping for a better hatch rate. Now hoping for one chick! Noticed the eggs I ordered close to home all had what looked like viable gestational ages when I candled them, it was also terrible cold when my eggs were shipped....

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sorry about your hatch not looking good at this point, it's really disappointing to wait and hope all this time and have such bad results. Shipped eggs are such a gamble, people seem to be happy with a 50% hatch on shipped eggs, but the USPS's handling of them can be darn rough, and if the smallest thing goes wrong during shipping you can wind up with nothing. From what some of the incubation sites say, if eggs get under 28.5*F they aren't going to hatch, this time of year depending on the route the eggs are taking, they may have gotten too cold at one point. I wouldn't think that humidity at 70% for a short period of time would hurt them, happens fairly often in the summer here if the humidity is high and you are trying to regulate it in an incubator... as long as the air cells are the right size at the end.

 

[cvstable]

Thanks, think I am going to try and order closer to home next time, I'm having a hard time finding what I want in this area though...Lockdown starts tomorrow so we will see what I end up with!

 

[cvstable]

I have two chicks as of the morning! Looks like two of my blue Orps Two others have pips, one has the same progress as last night though, hope it is going to make it :/

 

[Usagi]

That's a bit of a bummer, but it seems like it wasnt all bad news.
I've heard that a GOOD hatch rate from shipping eggs is around 50% at most. I'm thinking that USPS did way more damage to your eggs than your brief humidity issue. I mean, nature isn't completely constant either....but being roughed up while being transported across state lines isn't really...in the natural world.

I hope your two pippy ones bust through soon!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Congrats on the new hatchlings, hope the others make it out safe.

 

[cvstable]

Thanks! Can't wait to go home and see what's been going on while I have been at work, my husband has started calling me the chicken lady ha!

 

[cvstable]

Well, had a total of 5 chicks hatch, the 5th was a surprise. I have learned so much on this site! I ordered some more eggs, lavender and black Orps. Will do things a lot different this time!!!