Hatching shipped eggs

[oregonkat]

Just hatched eggs off eBay - Serama bantams. They hatched yesterday, on day 19. The auction was for '16+', I got 18 well wrapped and packaged. One of them had a chip in it, a tiny spot, but I didn't see it until just a few days before hatching. I've never hatched any kind of eggs before. My results were;

Using a Zoo-Med reptile egg incubator, forced air, set at 100f. It doesn't have half-degree settings, but, hey. I already had it, and it had never been used. Hand turned every four hours up to day seventeen, marked with a dot on one side and a stripe on the other to be sure I didn't overlook anyone.

18 eggs to start.

-8 that candled clear on day 10 or so, and when opened showed no development. (Could be they were infertile, or too old, or x-rayed in shipping. Who knows.)

-1 that showed a 'bad' spot on day 10, opening showed an embryo that started but was blood-ringed.

9 eggs showed development and promise on day 10.

-3 on day 17. Emryo formation, but no development.

6 eggs showed development and potential, though I couldn't tell on movement, on day 17 when I 'locked down'. I had conflicting information on whether Serama would hatch on day 19 or day 21.

-4 on day 19, when they hatched healthy, strong little puffy golf balls!

That left two eggs that hadn't pipped. I didn't see movement in either of them.

-2 on day 20, when I carefully 'pecked' a small hole in the shell to check for blood vessels. None in the air pocket. Further opening the hole revealed dead chicks that had never internally pipped, both with full feather development and an egg tooth. One never absorbed any of its yolk sack, the other appears to have ruptured the yolk, since the egg started leaking yellow as soon as I opened the inner chick membrane to try and find out what went wrong. Both had vein structures, but they didn't bleed - the chicks were quite dead.

End results; 4 beautiful live chicks, 8 duds, 6 that might be my fault for loss, or might just have been natural fails.

Conclusion; I'll undoubtedly be doing this again. There's another Serama breeder that sell on eBay whose eggs I'd like to try, and I'd like more Serama! Maybe next month.

Incidentally, the one with the chip in it, which I covered with a tiny piece of scotch tape to hold humidity in when I saw it, was; The smallest egg. The first egg to hatch. The strongest chick out of the egg. The first chick to figure out food and water. And among the four, the smallest, the most active, and the leader.

I don't know where you are located but look on your local craigslist or Ebay for sellers that are closer to you. The shipping process is incredibly hard on hatching eggs and can end up being very expensive. I have found better success buying only from sellers that are no more than 1 state away from me.

 

[Zinjifrah]

I don't know where you are located but look on your local craigslist or Ebay for sellers that are closer to you. The shipping process is incredibly hard on hatching eggs and can end up being very expensive. I have found better success buying only from sellers that are no more than 1 state away from me.

Thank you for your suggestion! Unfortunately, it would require a two to three day trip to go pick eggs up in person, from where I'm at. The problems with living in the middle of nowhere. I just can't do that, with the other animals to take care of.

 

[Colly1470]

Well....Day 7 and no veins visible. I'm going to check again on day 10. Hopefully there will be some, or I'm going to have to scrap this hatch.

 

[Colly1470]

None started developing. The person I bought them from is going to send replacements (an unexpected and very pleasant surprise....talk about customer service). So, attempt number 2 will be starting soon. Fingers crossed.

 

[KathryninQuebec]

I put 24 shipped Canadian Bresse eggs in my incubator 2 days ago. They traveled all the way from British Columbia to me in NE Quebec. In the US that would be the equivalent of LA California to Bangor Maine lol. I should have let them set a full 24 hrs before putting them in my incubator but they were a week later than I had wished and have other breeds in line for the next 3 month following. So They only sat about 10 hours before they went in. I have them point down with no auto tilting at the moment. I plan on candling tomorrow night to determine the air cells. I also added some of my own bantam Wyandotte lace wings eggs as long as I was running the machine. One arrived with a tiny spider crack in it. I saw someone successfully hatch an egg on YouTube is similar shape once by just putting a piece of scotch tape on it. Why not? I haven't got anything to loose!

Update: Day 6
2 Non fertile Bresse

2 Blood Ring Bresse

2 Questionable Bresse

18 with air cells and veining Bress

11 with air cells and veining Bantam Wyandotte GL

Total 29 viable to hatch 2 maybeys

Update: Day 10
17 viable Bresse 1 with air cell on side (will have to research)

3 duds: 1 non-fertile 2 Blood Ring

11 viable Bantam Wyandotte GL

Total 28 potential Chicks

AND The Scotch Tape Baby is still viable! Cool Huh!

 

[Colly1470]

Update: Day 6
2 Non fertile Bresse

2 Blood Ring Bresse

2 Questionable Bresse

18 with air cells and veining Bress

11 with air cells and veining Bantam Wyandotte GL

Total 29 viable to hatch 2 maybeys

Update: Day 10
17 viable Bresse 1 with air cell on side (will have to research)

3 duds: 1 non-fertile 2 Blood Ring

11 viable Bantam Wyandotte GL

Total 28 potential Chicks

AND The Scotch Tape Baby is still viable! Cool Huh!

Fingers crossed for 28

 

[JudysMuscovy]

I am on day 20 checked them quick today to see if any internal pips and they look good. I added a bit more water and humidity is 59% hope that's ok
I am excited!

 

[mdees88]

I had my first hatch ever about 3 weeks ago. I bought 50 eggs, they sent 52 and 2 were cracked. I set 50 jumbo pharaoh quail eggs and at lockdown I had about 36. I hatched out 31 and ended up with 30 quail. These eggs were shipped from Georgia.

My second hatch was today. I ordered 50 Italian coturnix quail from Ohio. They sent 60 and 1 was cracked. I set 59 and at lockdown I had 50. I hatched out 49 and the last one pipped but still hasn't zipped.

I don't know much about candeling so I waited until lockdown before trying. If they were clear I tossed them. I went in hoping for a 60% hatch rate on shipped eggs and I have been very pleased with the results. I have 200 shipped eggs supposed to hatch at the end of the month.

 

[JudysMuscovy]

Day 21 is today at 130pm. Lavender Americana total 7 out of 8 shipped eggs are in lockdown.
Day 21 for the polish frizzle also 10 out of 13 shipped eggs are also in lockdown.
I am off to work here shortly- I hope to see some external action when I get home.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Eggs arrived today. I’ve bought from this seller before. This time was a hot mess. I have a cracked egg in the middle of the 18ct carton (each egg is wrapped in bubble wrap) I’m thinking it was packed cracked. And about half the eggs were packed upside down in the carton. I’ve got a teeny tiny egg that is so small it shouldn’t be hatched. Im not even going to go into detail on all the crazy air cells.

Well you need to tell us who the seller is so we don't order from them

I let the eggs sit 48 hrs then put them in the incubator on Friday with no turning for 3 days. Only 2 developed. I contacted the lady yesterday about the upside down eggs and the cracked one. She’s said she’ll send me new eggs.