How do you deal with the shipped eggs?

[emvickrey]

Getting shipped eggs is the only way I can get the breeds i'm looking for and the better quality one too. I do alot of the swaps here at BYC. The hatch rates are poor though. It's the chance I'm willing to take to get what im wanting. Around here people don't have silkies separated by color. They're mixed colors. I started out with mixed colors and working on putting together colored pens with the silkies. The sizzles are mixed colors that I have. I have gotten some blue ones that I plan to put a blue pen together with as soon as they are ready to start laying.

I got a black orph last year that was the only one that hatched out of 12 eggs. Now i've been trying to get him a couple of girlfriends. I think I finally do after many tries. Other than those I have a pair of oegb's and i've started getting duck eggs. So far I have 1 pekin, 1 swedish and 3 indian runner ducklings. Still more to hatch. It's been a busy day. Tending to the bators and chicks. I hear peeping so there will be or is another.

I believe the post office and the handling and storing of the eggs of the shipper have alot to do with it. They get shook up from the post office and sent thru the xray. When I gather eggs to be shipped I handle them like fine china. I store them in a cool room and turn then twice a day. I don't send any that are older than 4 days and I carefully wrap each egg in bubble wrap and lay them on their side in the box and layer them with shreded paper between and I tuck shredded paper along the sides of the box to cushion against bumping. So far from those that let me know the hatch rates have been good. I don't know how they all did but those that did let me know have been good.

I get 90 - 100% hatch rates from my own eggs but of course they haven't been thru shipping. I've gotten boxes of scrambled eggs ready for the pan. When a box arrives stained yellowish orange I know it can't be good. I"ve had broken and sisplaced air cells. Right now I have a box somewhere out there that was due on the 9th. I still haven't gotten it. I really hope I don't either. I'm sure it has a bad aroma to it by now.

 

[mycutekitties]

I bought my 1st doz of shipped eggs recently. Tomorrow is day 21 in the incubator. When I candeled them before lockdown all 12 were right on track. So far no pips tho. My own eggs have started to hatch or have pips so I am praying my shipped eggs do OK. The seller packed them VERY well. We will see soon the outcome.

 

[yook2000]

I candled the show girl eggs I bought from BYC breeder. Only 5 of 12 are developing. 10 of 17 duck eggs developing. I did not let them sit for 24 hours. I will do that for the silkie eggs I would receive at this weekend and hope getting more successful.
When choosing the breeders in BYC, do your guys only consider their feedbacks, or you have other way to make the judgement?

 

[Mofarmgirl]

So far I've had very poor hatch rates from shipped eggs I've bought. I have more "cooking" and some on the way for this week so Im hoping those will do better. The only time you can really blame the sender is for very poor packing or if most or all of the eggs were never fertile. I've gotten eggs that were packed very well but were still scrambled?
Its definitely a gamble because there are so many variables...temp fluctuations during the trip, x ray, rough handling ect.
If my hatch rates go up I'll keep trying with shipped eggs but if not will probably go back to ordering chicks. I do have to say getting them by swapping with other byc-ers is a cheaper way to go about it!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

When I get shipped eggs, if they are warm when I open the box, they go right into the incubator (why let them cool down?). If they are cold, I let them come to room temp then put them in the incubator. I do not turn for the first 2-3 days, to give them extra time to "rest". Seems to work.

I've shipped lots of eggs this year and have gotten many reports back where all eggs have developed. I have somebody in OR right now who moved all 8 eggs I sent into "lockdown". From NY to OR, thats a long way and to have them all developing.

 

[rebel yell]

Here lately I have not been getting very good hatch rates on shipped eggs, they arive in great cond. but are shook up so bad they dont hatch, I think its the PO. handling them cause I know the folks shipping them are very carefull with them, are they xraying everything now? cause something is going on.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

packing by the seller has a large part in helping the hatch rate if you ask me. All of my hatches have been shipped eggs so far. I even hatched shipped calls and had all but 2 eggs hatch 20 out of 22.

When eggs arive, I take a photo of where they were left on the porch, brng in and tae a photo, open and photo, unpack and photo. Then nwrap each egg and photo along the way. They then go into one of my unused pulp cartons labeled as to what eggs they are and rest for 24-48 hours. Thi allows me to turn on the bators, and also allows time for the other eggs to arrive. I try and alwaysy sets of eggs to arrive within a day of ech other. Then I set everything on the same day. This help me when it comes hatch time so I am not always running to set up brooders, pic up chick feed ect.

It also allows for one hatch to grow out with attention and move out making room for the next round.

 

[Bookworm chick]

I just opened my box of hatching eggs and was impressed with the way they were wrapped. There were two extras included in case of breakage, I guess. All dozen were intact. I unwrapped them and will wait until they're room temp (they were cool to the touch) before putting them under the hen. I'd also called my mail carrier and arranged for them to call me when the eggs arrived at the post office so I could go pick them up. I've seen the way those carriers drive and figured it would be three hours less time they'd be jostled around with jackrabbit starts and slamming on the brakes at each mailbox.

 

[L.L Farm]

I just recieved my shipped eggs to.... I got curious and candled them in a pitch black room with LED candler, and it looked like most of the air sacks were really weird shapes, not the usual circle at the bottom or top of the egg :\\

I wonder if you can tell before putting them in the incubator?

 

[rebel yell]

I tried that to, some I could see, some I couldnt, so I dont know about that.