Not much luck with shipped eggs!

[Dimples_vixi]

Hi,

I’m looking for a bit of reassurance. I recently ordered and set 12 button quail egg. I was concerned after candling them, before setting, as a few air cells were detached and some you could tell were scrambled. Well none hatched so I contacted the seller who was absolutely great, sent them back and he has posted replacements. That was Monday and here we are on Wednesday and they have still not arrived in the post. I’m in the U.K. and we’ve had freezing temperatures. I’m worrying myself silly that if they come tomorrow they would have been in the postal system for 4 days and spent time in below freezing conditions. Does anyone think there will be any hope for this next batch of eggs!! I’m starting to think I’m not meant to have quail !

 

[Chicken Boy 101]

Actually I've been thinking about getting some shipped eggs tell me how it works out.

 

[feedman77]

Shipped eggs are touchy in any temp. Imho.

But I usually start hatching in Jan and feb.

If they are insulated (packed) well they should be fine.

I've Had a few batches get shipped when temps were -3 to -10 f. Had decent hatches.

 

[Dimples_vixi]

That’s reassuring, thank you. They are in polystyrene boxes so fingers crossed it won’t affect them too much!

 

[Dimples_vixi]

Arrived today!!! 2 broken (one of each), I have taped to give a chance but they will probably be chucked in a week. They weren’t too cold luckily but look like they’ve had a hard time travelling. Nothing can be done now!!! All set for a New Year’s Day hatch!!!

 

[007Sean]

That's too bad they didn't ship well....but thats the chance you take when ordering eggs. Hope that it's not as bad as it seems. Have you candled them to see if the air cell is disrupted? Keep us posted!

 

[Dimples_vixi]

That's too bad they didn't ship well....but thats the chance you take when ordering eggs. Hope that it's not as bad as it seems. Have you candled them to see if the air cell is disrupted? Keep us posted!

Yes exactly, hopefully we’ll have a few from this batch though. I’ll candle the eggs tonight when it’s darker. They sit without being turned for a few days anyway so fingers crossed air cells may attach again.

 

[Birdinhand]

sounds like you have a good attitude, keep it up, keep trying. shipped eggs are much less resistant to the bangs and bumps of shipping than live chicks. the suspensatory ligaments in the egg that hold the yolk in the center get broken pretty easily. I have much better luck with chicks. when I was young, very few of the qual eggs that I was sent hatched, but then again the house I grew up in was freezing in the winter and the craptastic incubator that came with the eggs was horrible, it was a miracle that one out of 8 eggs survived, that was zero of the first four and one of the replacement four that they sent. to me it's all about learning with each attempt and adjusting expectations so you don't go crazy when things don't work out. amazing things sometimes require persistence, it will work out if you keep at it!

 

[ButtonQ]

My babies we’re shipped, I ordered 2 doz eggs they sent 50ish eggs, 28 hatched the rest were cracked or didn’t grow at all.

 

[Dimples_vixi]

It just sounds like quail eggs don’t travel well. Considering their size it’s not surprising. As Birdinhand suggested, it’s trial and error. It will have to happen eventually!