Okay every time I purchase eggs, they fail. I purchased Blue Andalusian eggs and they seemed to be doing good and the last week, everything went wrong and the air sac looked like 2 big arches. Well I let it go since I saw movement, but now learned that the arches are a bad thing. I had one hatch, which had difficulty breathing and was deceased this morning. Now, all of my own eggs hatch and I have had no problem. So this morning I checked the last 3 Andalusian eggs and there was no life, so I opened them. The membrane had tighten around them and caused them to suffocate, because it was to tight and tough. Can someone tell me what may cause this in shipped eggs and what I can do differently when I receive the new order. If this next hatch fails, I guess I will try to find day old chicks. (1 for each chick that did not make it)
How many times is every time? How old were the eggs when you got them? Shrink wrapped chicks is sometimes a product of egg age. Sometimes it's humidity. Did you hatch some of your own along with this hatch? Or alone? I always add a few of my own for comparison. If MINE fail I know there's something that went wrong with the incubation. I've had shipped eggs do generally well, provided they were fresh and the postal system was kind. Even my juggled bunch with damaged air cells just hatched and four did well. Older eggs will produce larger air cells. That's why this current delayed hatch of rescued eggs really was tough, the eggs were old enough it was almost impossible for all but the strongest poults to break out. They ran well over the 25-28 days - each day over causing a larger air cell, dryer membrane and tougher hatch. Sometimes you don't know what collapses a hatch. You think you do. But I use a test group of normal fertile home grown eggs so I can at least have a control group. Maybe in shipment they did get juggled, hot, very cold, very dry. Certainly it happens. There is in general a poorer result from shipping that is a combination of age, postal service intervention in temp, humidity and rough handling. So certainly there are lower odds when you ship. But totally not trying shipped eggs? I can't do that. Too many good breeders live too far away and I want their stock. Even professional hatcheries have giant huge failed hatches. With their scientific computer controlled room sized bators. Hatching is always going to have risks. If I wanted Blue Andalusians like I want BBS Rocks. I'd hatch shipped eggs until I got what I wanted no matter how many times I had to get them in. Hmm, I am doing that. Giving up is easy. Incubation is always going to have it's ups and downs, especially with shipped eggs. But the postal service has been known to kill chicks too. Better odds? Probably. Easier? Certainly. But I do like saying I hatched them. There's a pride in that. And I need the practice. The more I try. The more I learn, the easier a normal hatch goes. The more I can figure out about my set up and what to do when... That's all good. Chicks are field expedient. Many of the breeders I do know and want stock from never ship chicks. Eggs are my only option. I wish you the best of luck. I hope you keep trying and I hope you do get your andalusians.
Quote:They ran well over the 25-28 days - each day over causing a larger air cell, dryer membrane and tougher hatch. Everytime is over a dozen. Last year, I must have order 15 types of eggs or more and was lucky to get 1 from the hatches (Ebay). One lady sent my eggs smelling like apple hair spray, had a bunch of rollers and hair in the box and 4 eggs were rotten with in 2 days. As for having some of my own eggs in with the hatch. I had a dozen of my own that I put in with them and mine hatched out fine and are doing good. Thanks for the information, at least I now know what causes the very large air sac.
