September Hatch-A-Long!

[ChickenFox]

Hello folks I really need some encouragement. I want to purchase some eggs from ebay and . This is something I have done several times before with NO success. I have never had the first egg hatch. I am looking to purchase eggs Maran and I do NOT think it was the person's fault I purchased the eggs from but rather my post office. The boxes the eggs were sent in were crushed or had objects pushed through the top which resulted in several eggs being broken.

What luck have you had with mailed eggs?

I've ordered once through ebay and the eggs arrived in great condition minus one but the gentleman sent 2 extra in case so I still got more than I ordered. At 10 days in only about half were developing and at the end of it all 6 went into lockdown. Only 2 hatched and 1 of those was an assist. The assist had severely curled toes on one foot and a a overgrown beak. The other is perfect as far as I can tell. Both are now 3 weeks and doing great. Now I believe I would have had a much better hatch rate if I had a better incubator. Mine was a homemade styro bator WITHOUT a thermostat so I had to control everything manually. Also it was my first hatch. lol I think I did just about everything wrong. I've heard of great hatch rates and horrible with shipped eggs so all in all I think shipped eggs are a crap shoot. It could be great or it could be horrible. ( I have since much improved my bator as my new chicks will go to show)

 

[doodleluver]

Temps dropped lastnight to 93.8 but humidity was still 73% im beginning to wonder if its the new digital thermometer? ? The old one I thought was broken still showed movement but not as low as 93.8 ...... any chance the eggs are still good? Its at 101 and holding?

 

[celonecoop]

Question for those of you that dry incubate what do you want the humidity to be at what range? This is only my second hatch and I have 48 eggs in there and I want to make sure what I'm doing is correct because I have researched it and can not find a definite answer so what has worked for you guys?

 

[ggladd]

Th

Awesome! Where did the eggs come from? Were they shipped??? Rhodebars are still on my list to get

OMG! First pip of my NON-SHIPPED Blue/Black/Splash Ameraucana eggs! PLEASE just hatch like you are supposed girls and guys - I am BEGGING!!! Its day 20 so right on schedule.

The eggs were shipped from 3 different places. Texas, Indiana, and Florida.

 

[ggladd]

Those are great numbers! How do you incubate. I think I need to switch my method up.

I just built this bator and this is the first batch the come from it. I always let shipped eggs sit in room temps for 24 hours before putting then in the incubator. This allows the eggs to adjust to air preasures that change from shipped to destination locations. I dry incubate for the first 18 days then increase humidity to around 75% for the remainder. My bator has an auto turner the actually rock the eggs for 30 minutes every 3 hours. I keep all vents closed until i increase humidity too.

 

[Angie Poo]

Did your power stay on?

The power did go out but only for a little while. My bator only got down to 95 degrees before the power came back on I candled my 9 eggs when I woke up and they are all still alive and kicking e

I really should be more prepared for this stuff I know it's going to happen just never when...

 

[familypendragon]

I currently face the same dilemma. My eggs shipped well, and 6/7 were fertile. But only 3 made it into incubation and only 1 hatched. However it may not make it afterall. So I face the same issue. Do I buy more shipped eggs? Or do I just try to find them locally, and preferably freshly hatched? I keep hearing mailing is so hard on eggs. I can't keep throwing money away and going through the whole 3 week process with  no chicks to show for it.

Right there with you totally.

 

[Dan the maran]

Thank you all for your replies. You have made me look more closly at purchasing eggs through the mail and frankly I don't think this will happen again.

 

[familypendragon]

I just built this bator and this is the first batch the come from it. I always let shipped eggs sit in room temps for 24 hours before putting then in the incubator. This allows the eggs to adjust to air preasures that change from shipped to destination locations. I dry incubate for the first 18 days then increase humidity to around 75% for the remainder. My bator has an auto turner the actually rock the eggs for 30 minutes every 3 hours. I keep all vents closed until i increase humidity too.

I am confused by the description of the auto turner. Can you explain or show pics? It rocks them for 30 minutes?

 

[familypendragon]

Eek, 2 Ameraucanas have pipped now!