Floo powder, LOL!![]()
If you're already getting great hatch rates from your own eggs then setting a control group obviously can't in any way help you to improve your hatch rate on shipped eggs, but at least it reassures you that YOU'RE not the problem, it's just the shipping.
There are ways to maximise the chances of shipped eggs by packing them in multiple layers, but you need to find a co-operative seller who is willing to pack the way you want, or of course a seller who already knows how to pack eggs properly. They seem to do best if they're each wrapped in an individual layer of bubble wrap, then packed tightly in a small carton inside more bubble wrap, then the small carton is placed inside a bigger box and cushioned all round with straw or shredded paper. When I send my hatching eggs this way, usually about 80% of them will develop and about 65%+ of them will hatch if they're incubated correctly. Good packaging really does make a big difference...
P.S. Steponme: 5/6 developing is a good result. Not much you can do about blood rings really. Just one of those things...
Do you wash them before you ship them or do you leave that up to the new owner? Thanks, Sylvia