Percent of hatching shipped eggs!

[PeterHer]

What percentage would you guys say or rate..on shipped hatching eggs? and successfully hatched them? First time ordering a little over a dozen and a half eggs from 2 different people on eBay and after 7 days in the incubator..none is showing any signs..all the eggs I put in from my hens are developing already! Experienced shipped eggs hatcher..where are you guys at? What happened to my eggs? All comments welcome..thank you!

 

[Pyxis]

I regularly hatch shipped eggs and usually about a 50% hatch rate is considered normal. Right now, I am luckier than I can believe - I have two separate dozens from two separate breeders with 100% development. IF they all hatch, and that is a big if, it will be my second time with 100% hatch rate on shipped eggs out of a lot of shipments. This is really rare though. Did the eggs have a hard time getting to you? What day are they on? Sometimes shipping is just really rough on the eggs and the hatch rate is terrible. It can be a real gamble.

 

[appps]

I've just hatched my first batch of posted eggs and so far have just 1/12. But this is my first time hatching anything so take that with a grain of salt lol

I definatly had a 50% developed to some point rate though. Most failing as we headed into lockdown. I only had 2 nothing happened at alls.

 

[sdm111]

My best was 22 out of 24. Me being the shipper. All but one has been at least 50% hatch. development is usually all or maybe one or two that don't per shipment

 

[MeepBeep]

I incubated two different orders this year, one was 100% bunk, not a single egg hatched I believe out of something like 30 eggs, can't recall the exact number off the top of my head... Several had detached air cells but I was still surprised that none made it... Out of that batch only a few even started but blood ringed within a few days time...

On another order I set 8 and 7 hatched, so 88% the one that didn't hatch never started and appeared to be infertile, no signs of life at all... These eggs arrived perfect, no detached air cells or any damage...

I hatched about 95% with my own or locally obtained eggs this year, as a baseline reference...

I firmly believe that it's all a true roll of the dice with shipping eggs, you either get a package that was handled gently with no adversity or you get one that was handled bad or was exposed to adverse conditions... There are just so many variables, from truck freight, to plane freight, to storage at multiple facilities, to handling in general, so many chances for things to go wrong...

You should also consider the persons success rate on local eggs, for example when someone says they got a 50% hatch on shipped eggs, if they only hatch at a rate of 50% with local eggs that is entirely different from the guy that normally hatches 90%... The guy that only hatches 50% with local eggs probably has little chance to do better with shipped ones, so it's sort of misleading as his 50% hatch rate might actually be due to his/her incubation procedures not shipping...

 

[sdm111]

Very very true on the shippers end you need to look at the development % not hatch rate and if at all possible use broody hens. I also believe the worst way to ship eggs is how some wrap them in paper or tissue then put in a dozen egg carton. And I also never put hatching eggs on the box just fragile and this end up. I'm convinced putting hatching eggs in the box brings unwanted attention. And If sent in the summer I'm a firm believer in not resting the eggs for a day. I had an Idea that if the eggs are in the back of a hot truck and start development then they are placed on a counter for a day in say 70* temp the embroyo would be killed. So getting the buyer to go straight from truck to incubator ( eventhough it goes against what is read ) has yielded much better summertime hatch rates.

 

[MeepBeep]

I'm convinced putting hatching eggs in the box brings unwanted attention.

This is a very good point, even if that attention is in good faith it could be bad... My mail guy told me there was a slight 'panic' at the post office when one of my boxes arrived marked 'fertile eggs' as they were unsure what to do with it since it didn't have the normal 'Hold for Pickup' and a phone number on it like they were expecting... I wanted it delivered as being an at home dad trying to get three kids in the car first thing in the morning to go pickup is more hassle then it's worth when I'm home and my mail is delivered on an early route, maybe an hour later...

 

[Aphrael]

Very very true on the shippers end you need to look at the development % not hatch rate and if at all possible use broody hens. I also believe the worst way to ship eggs is how some wrap them in paper or tissue then put in a dozen egg carton. And I also never put hatching eggs on the box just fragile and this end up. I'm convinced putting hatching eggs in the box brings unwanted attention. And If sent in the summer I'm a firm believer in not resting the eggs for a day. I had an Idea that if the eggs are in the back of a hot truck and start development then they are placed on a counter for a day in say 70* temp the embroyo would be killed. So getting the buyer to go straight from truck to incubator ( eventhough it goes against what is read ) has yielded much better summertime hatch rates.

This is a really interesting point! I hadn't thought of it that way before. So if they had a chance of going through hot enough temps to start development, it might be better to put them directly into the incubator, but not start turning them for several days? I know some people endorse putting shipped eggs directly in and just not turning them for several days rather than letting them settle because they don't want them to sit out and get any older than they already are before beginning incubation.

Hmmm. If I can find some cheap "whatever" eggs somewhere after my 'bator is finished, I may have to try an experiment. Let half sit for the recommended 24 hours before putting in the bator and put the other half directly in. Then see if there is an appreciable difference between the two groups.

 

[sdm111]

Something to think about and with cheap eggs it can be proven by doing the half straight and half sitting out for a day. I personally always go straight to incubator whichever season it is but I just want to be clear my hypothesis is only for summertime shipping when hatch rates have a tendency to decline.

 

[sdm111]

This is a very good point, even if that attention is in good faith it could be bad... My mail guy told me there was a slight 'panic' at the post office when one of my boxes arrived marked 'fertile eggs' as they were unsure what to do with it since it didn't have the normal 'Hold for Pickup' and a phone number on it like they were expecting... I wanted it delivered as being an at home dad trying to get three kids in the car first thing in the morning to go pickup is more hassle then it's worth when I'm home and my mail is delivered on an early route, maybe an hour later...

Another thing is the amount of people that ask if I must keep hatching eggs cool in the fridge to keep "fresh" so going on that note maybe some one involved in the shipping may inadvertently think they are doing good and place then in a cool place that may be too cool and kill the embroyo that way. U never know