Since you guys and gals, were taking about shipped eggs I thought I'd post this here.
I ran across this article about shipped eggs and thought I 'd post it.
Great to know for anyone thinking of buying shipped Eggs
There are problems that can be caused by shipping and some that have nothing to do with shipping.
Shipping can cause:
eggs to appear not fertile(JUST BECAUSE AN EGG DOESN'T DEVELOP DOESN'T MEAN IT WASN'T FERTILE)
scrambled eggs
loose air cells
floating bubbles...
quitters
misshapen air cells
Shipping will not cause:
fully developed embryos not pipped
fully developed embryos pipping and dying
infertility
chicks dying after hatching
So if you have a dozen eggs shipped and not one develops, they were likely damaged in shipping although appearing not fertile. But if you have a dozen eggs and 1 hatches but there are dead chicks in the other eggs, this is an incubation problem and has nothing to do with wether they are shipped or not
But, for most people, mail delivery can still be a little dicey. In my case, I'm one of the last stops of the day.
So, if this sounds like you or you just want to take a bit more control of the situation, request that your egg packages be sent Priority as "Hold For Pickup." (edit)
Then when it arrives, be prepared to go get them. This may be inconvenient, but it is important.
That way, they don't spend all day bouncing around in a hot delivery van, or sitting on the porch until you get home to collect them. Better they sit in the back room of a cool (hopefully) P.O., waiting for you.
- Have your incubator running and stable before the eggs arrive.
This is sublimely simple, but more than a few people make this mistake. Make sure you know it works, too. It can be disconcerting to add eggs to the incubator and then watch as the temperature falls off - if you didn't know that would happen. Do your experimenting before you have eggs in hand, always.
It feels to me that there are a lot of things that can go wrong with shipped eggs.
- temperature spikes, high and low
- low pressure, if flown
- x-rays
- lots of jostling, from the truck and from being thrown around
If anything happens to damage the air sac, that can have a definite effect on end development.
ALL shipped eggs go thru a significant stress in travel. this stress always contributes to more difficulty for the developing embryo, some survive the process and some do not.
UNDERSTANDING what goes WRONG with SHIPPED EGGS
The yolk of an egg is held in place on each end by what is called Chalaza. These are delicate cords that keep the yolk centered in the egg. When you crack open an egg, you notice a white stringy thing on the yolk, this is the Chalaza. When eggs are shipped they encounter postal handlers that toss the packages, sorting machinery, bumpy vehicle rides, temperature changes and possibly X-ray Machines! So by the time the eggs get to you they are pretty much scrambled inside. So if you are going to buy eggs and have them shipped to you, be aware that the viability drops TREMENDOUSLY. There are rare instances when they ALL arrive safely but it is always a gamble.
For rolling, detached or disrupted air cells (cells no longer at fat end of the egg but like a bubble level on the long side, rolling or saddle shaped cells), you’ll need to change your hatch plan. They need to sit 24 hours NO TURNING, pointy end down in a Styrofoam Egg Carton with the bottoms cut out for ventilation to possibly reattach air cells. Allow eggs to sit in a moderately cool, somewhat humid place for 12-24 hours before you begin to incubate them. Basements are great. Moderately cool means 65-75 degrees with the fat end UP. After settle period SET Shipped eggs in the incubator in the carton with bottoms cut out as pictured below, do not turn for 36-48 hours to help air cell re-attach. I personally have found that any shipped egg that survives to day 18 lockdown has an awkward but re-attached air cell so I lay my eggs down for hatch. Please refer to day 18 lockdown for more information on why laying eggs for hatching after day 18 is the best way to go. After 36-48 hours begin turning or hand turn by laying the eggs side to side 3 times a day, as in the image below. REMINDER~ Never Set COLD eggs in the incubator.
SADDLE SHAPED AIR CELLS are very COMMON with shipped eggs!
Saddle shaped is when one or both sides have a large "dip" in the air cell. A lot of times with saddle shaped cells the chick doesn’t position correct for hatching and their feet can easily get stuck behind their head and “smoosh” the chick so they can’t move, it can also force the yolk sack and everything more north in the shell.... Keep a close eye on these eggs and its VERY important to pencil mark Air cells!
CRACKED EXPENSIVE IMPORTANT EGGS
If you do receive a cracked egg and it’s an expensive egg you can try to hatch it, but beware of bacterial explosion and
good possibility of ruining other eggs. It is possible to hatch a cracked egg by sealing the crack with candle wax/crayon wax or finger nail polish. Try to place the egg in a cup or protected place well away from other eggs. If viable to hatch, keep a close eye on where the pip mark will be in case the chick cant get through a fixed area.
