well, here's my take on it... fewer eggs = smaller package = gets tossed around a LOT more and you end up with more damage. at least in my experience.
i bought 18+ dorking eggs, got 21. 18 were fertile and developed, but 16 quit between 14 and 18 days so i hatched 2. during the same incubation, i also put in 15 EE eggs shipped to me. 10 were fertile, 5 hatched. I also incubated 5 marans eggs (7 shipped, 2 smashed) hatched 0 (opened them up, the yolks were scrambled), and 10 homegrown bantam eggs. hatched 10 bantams...
right now I have 14 of 24 shipped cochin eggs going as of day 14 (today), as well as a bunch of eggs from my young dorking trio. of the first 12 set, i have 3 that were fertile, the next 4, 3 are good, and the last 7 are all fertile too! set dates November 3, 10, 11, 12 as i kept finding hidden bunches).
I always try to incubate shipped and local eggs same time as a sort of 'control group' so i know it's the shipped eggs vs incubator problems.
i bought 18+ dorking eggs, got 21. 18 were fertile and developed, but 16 quit between 14 and 18 days so i hatched 2. during the same incubation, i also put in 15 EE eggs shipped to me. 10 were fertile, 5 hatched. I also incubated 5 marans eggs (7 shipped, 2 smashed) hatched 0 (opened them up, the yolks were scrambled), and 10 homegrown bantam eggs. hatched 10 bantams...
right now I have 14 of 24 shipped cochin eggs going as of day 14 (today), as well as a bunch of eggs from my young dorking trio. of the first 12 set, i have 3 that were fertile, the next 4, 3 are good, and the last 7 are all fertile too! set dates November 3, 10, 11, 12 as i kept finding hidden bunches).
I always try to incubate shipped and local eggs same time as a sort of 'control group' so i know it's the shipped eggs vs incubator problems.