Incubators Anonymous

[duluthralphie]

I know that you say this in jest but I have had better hatches (at altitude) on shipped Cream Legbar eggs by making a pin sized hole through the shell into the air sac at lockdown. By better, I mean that I got 3 eggs out of a dozen to hatch instead of the usual zero hatch.

Do you have any idea why this is? Does the egg shell slow respiration down at altitude? I find this curious and interesting.

I have always said everyone has to learn what works in their area. This is the most definite proof of that I have ever heard! Thanks for sharing that....WOW.. amazing.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Do you have any idea why this is? Does the egg shell slow respiration down at altitude? I find this curious and interesting.

I have always said everyone has to learn what works in their area. This is the most definite proof of that I have ever heard! Thanks for sharing that....WOW.. amazing.

My basic understanding is that when you are at sea level the oxygen concentration in the air is higher, as you move up in elevation the air becomes thiner and there is less oxygen available. This would negatively affect eggs. Now couple that with shipping damage.

 

[duluthralphie]

A hole in the egg would not make more O2 available, which is why I asked if he thought it would make the respiration easier or more complete.

Shipped eggs are a craps roll no matter what the altitude is. IMHO.

 

[R2elk]

Do you have any idea why this is? Does the egg shell slow respiration down at altitude? I find this curious and interesting.

I have always said everyone has to learn what works in their area. This is the most definite proof of that I have ever heard! Thanks for sharing that....WOW.. amazing.

All the research that I did on this says that eggs laid at sea level have a more dense shell. Eggs laid at altitude have a more porous shell.

After watching a program on a hatchery inoculating for Mareks and seeing that they inoculated by poking a hole in the egg shell in order to inject the vaccine, it appeared to me that it couldn't hurt anything to try making a hole without doing the inoculation part.

Denser egg shells from sea level coupled with a lower oxygen concentration at altitude contributes greatly to suffocated chicks,etc. during the final days of incubation.

The hole appears to allow a freer exchange of air between the inside and outside of the egg. By using a pinhole, it did not appear to increase the odds of shrink wrapping.

I won't be continuing the experiment because I am no longer buying hatching eggs from lower elevations. Because it was a small sample size, it is entirely possible that it was a fluke but doing it over several hatches it appeared to end the suffocated chicks during lockdown.

 

[duluthralphie]

All the research that I did on this says that eggs laid at sea level have a more dense shell. Eggs laid at altitude have a more porous shell.

After watching a program on a hatchery inoculating for Mareks and seeing that they inoculated by poking a hole in the egg shell in order to inject the vaccine, it appeared to me that it couldn't hurt anything to try making a hole without doing the inoculation part.

Denser egg shells from sea level coupled with a lower oxygen concentration at altitude contributes greatly to suffocated chicks,etc. during the final days of incubation.

The hole appears to allow a freer exchange of air between the inside and outside of the egg. By using a pinhole, it did not appear to increase the odds of shrink wrapping.

I won't be continuing the experiment because I am no longer buying hatching eggs from lower elevations. Because it was a small sample size, it is entirely possible that it was a fluke but doing it over several hatches it appeared to end the suffocated chicks during lockdown.

Thanks, That is what I was thinking and wondering. It makes great sense. However, I can see now why you would prefer to buy chicks than eggs.

maybe we can all save our porous shells and send them to you! Instead of culling them.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Came home to 2 boys out in the bator and within 10 mins another girl hatched! Brings my bielefelder count to 2 boys and 3 girls! Still have 6 talking inside their shells so hopefully we will have more.

pic of the girls

 

[aliciaplus3]

update: as of this morn when I left for work we had 8 bielefelders running around the brooder, one drying off in the bator and one more working on getting out of the egg. so out of 12 that went into lockdown we have 9 maybe 10 hatching! not bad at all for shipped eggs!

 

[DwayneNLiz]

update: as of this morn when I left for work we had 8 bielefelders running around the brooder, one drying off in the bator and one more working on getting out of the egg. so out of 12 that went into lockdown we have 9 maybe 10 hatching! not bad at all for shipped eggs!

sounds much better than your last attempt!!
Congrats!!!

 

[aliciaplus3]

sounds much better than your last attempt!!
Congrats!!!

better than my last one and MUCH better than the 3 times before that lol.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

update: as of this morn when I left for work we had 8 bielefelders running around the brooder, one drying off in the bator and one more working on getting out of the egg. so out of 12 that went into lockdown we have 9 maybe 10 hatching! not bad at all for shipped eggs!

Congratulations!