Incubating Eggs before Shipping

[janel]

For me the point is to use a small window in development when you can see evidence of fertility and know the eggs are fertile prior to mailing in order to improve the recipient's hatch rate. Agreed, DDD, it takes either expertise, great candling equipment, light-colored eggs, or a combo of these things to assess fertility correctly at 3 days, and I most certainly do not have the expertise!
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No, its not really the point but it would help with that some I guess. The point is that some people believe that incubating a short time before shipping makes the egg stronger inside an better able to take shipping. Not just having a few cells that have to survive the trip but thousands an more likely that some make it.

 

[janel]

It's come up, yes, but do we have a verdict?
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Hi! I'm sorry, I don't remember reading about it except in passing before this thread. I must've just skipped over it or it was buried in a long thread (long threads lose me).
I'm happy for any information or links.
Thanks!

Lisa

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Do you remember your seller of pre-incubated eggs? I'd love to contact them for more info on "how to" (if they'd be willing to share their technique). I'm fascinated, but don't know what I did wrong that only one of six 'pre-incubated' eggs seem to be growing.
Thanks!

Lisa
Quote:
Hi! I'm sorry, I don't remember reading about it except in passing before this thread. I must've just skipped over it or it was buried in a long thread (long threads lose me).
I'm happy for any information or links.
Thanks!

Lisa

 

[janel]

Hi Lisa,
Hopefully this is legal. It was these guys:
http://www.coyoteridge-pozo.com/Home_Page.html

Maybe the shorter time frame (24-48h) is the key...though it'd be hard to tell that early. Sorry your outcome wasn't better.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

No no verdict. Not that I remember. Back almost 10 years ago when I first read about it on here it was an old farmer asking for a regular to incubate eggs for 24 hours before shipping them to him. Vereations on the theme have came up several times a year on here. This is the first I remember actually getting to the testing point. If your doing it for 3 days I can see candeling an checking fertility coming in to it but sounds iffy to me to make it threw shipping an start again. At 24 hours candling would not really come in to it. Maybe because the length of time is getting longer everyones Idea of the reason for it has changed with it. Ether way I think it is bad but ya cant know without trying. If I was going to try it I would start with 24 hours an if that went ok try 48 then 3 days.

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

Hey Dipsy; I just had about 32 buff orps in the bator to hatch the last four days. I ended up with three. Those were no pre incubated I don't think. However, when the eggs were in the mail, we were having one of the worse cold snaps and snow storms in years. And they were packaged very well. I think the cold had something to do with it.

 

[janel]

Sounds like there is more than one possible benefit to pre-incubating, if done correctly. As a side note, it's done with human fertilized eggs under a very tight time frame. Of course the mailing doesn't apply, but they freeze them and implant them at a later date.
I'd be inclined to try 48h, but I know I can't see squat at 24 hours, so that wouldn't do much if the point was to determine fertility. Maybe the comparative hatch rates of 24 hour pre-mailing incubation vs no pre incubation is another experiment. Too bad I don't even have enough eggs to eat right now.
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[primal woman]

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Very interesting post.
When I raised parrots, I could see fertility at 2.5 days incubation in pure white eggs.

I candled some 3 day incubated brown chicken eggs (barred rock and dark cornish) and found they were fertile. THEN the power went out! Power was out for 15 hours and my house got down to 48 degrees inside. I am going to hang in there. Candled today and still looks good, but too early to tell.
This happened yesterday. I will try to remember to keep you posted on the results. But it makes sense it could work, especially the youngest incubated eggs that have not spread their veins all over yet.
I don't produce enough eggs yet to send. But I could accept some eggs if someone wants to send me some. How about Cornish, rocks and/or muscovy ducks! Oh, what the heck; how about macaws, cockatoos or caiques!! chuckle.

Thanks for posting this intriguing topic.
Two Lyon Electric incubators, and lots of experience incubating eggs.

They hatched. Even though they got extremely cold when the power went out. Even though the house is cold and the incubator ran half degree too low. Even though one was taken from the fridge to the incubator. ....They wanted out anyway. ! Not without some issues though; rough navels on a few. Due to low temp. One mal-position who could not hatch. And sporadic hatch. They spread the hatch out quite a bit.

 

[newham0614]

I bought pre-incubated eggs at an auction. They were incubated for a week already. It's been cold here so the eggs got cold riding around in the car a bit. We put them in the bator and under a broody and so far all 12 are developing nicely. Should hatch around feb 4. I can't wait to see how many hatch.

 

[Robo]

WhiteConfections is one of the sellers.