Shipped eggs!!! Incubation tips wanted and needed

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Egghead_Jr said:
I know some people don't turn for few days in incubator but I've never seen where that increased hatching. What does seem to increase hatching of shipped eggs is to set them on counter for at least 24 hours to two days in egg cartons fat end up. This is to allow the eggs to settle, hope any scrambling from shipping realigns. Once in the incubator all normal protocol should be followed. Turn the eggs. If the egg is not viable to hatch after two days of settle then it's not going to be viable sitting longer. The very real decrease in hatch rates due to not turning enough in beginning of incubation will always hold true. To throw this fact out the window on anecdotal hopes and dreams it will increase your hatch rate is not realistic.

@EggSTOREYdinary Incubate low humidity, I like 30% RH, and increase a day or two prior to hatch to 70%. Hatch day is the same day of week you set the eggs three weeks later.
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Thank you so much, I appreciate your fast response!
 
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EggSTOREYdinary said:
Hi! I also just got hatching eggs through the mail. So what I’m reading is that it’s best not turn them for the first few days? This is my 2nd time. The first time I had a zero hatch rate but I was brand new and wasn’t as educated. I have 2 incubators, ones and up and down and ones where the eggs are postitioned in the sides. Which is better? What should the humidity be and at what point should you turn it up? Had no idea how many things factor in a hatch! Thanks so much for all feedback
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Did you happen to check the air cells on the eggs when they got there?
 
I didn't have wonky air cells but the did seem a bit loose, i got them from only one state over. I waited 3 days before turning and that seemed too do the trick.
 
EggSTOREYdinary said:
Hi! I also just got hatching eggs through the mail. So what I’m reading is that it’s best not turn them for the first few days? This is my 2nd time. The first time I had a zero hatch rate but I was brand new and wasn’t as educated. I have 2 incubators, ones and up and down and ones where the eggs are postitioned in the sides. Which is better? What should the humidity be and at what point should you turn it up? Had no idea how many things factor in a hatch! Thanks so much for all feedback
Click to expand...
Did you happen to check your air cells when they got there?
 
I have been reading all about shipped eggs in this forum with rapt attention. In fact I have been gathering enormous knowledge about chicken in general, from this forum. Now I am beginning to feel guilty for not sharing my experience with you great people here. This is my VERY first posting about my Chicken experience thus far.

I am new to hatching. All that I know about getting my desired chicken eggs to my place of hatching bordered, 100 percent on shipping the eggs. Unfortunately for me, unlike most you in this forum who have tried hatching shipped eggs, I ship mine globally. And, yes, after these eggs go through the abuse levied on them by the USPS before arriving at my US home (plus the days spent in transit), I have to transport them in a checked in baggage on an 18 hour flight that exchanged planes 3 times, fly at the highest possible altitudes, got Xrayed with every plane changed. I know the reactions...Whao!!! And yes, I have done it 4 times, with my 4th try in the incubation as I am writing this post.

NOW MY STORY AND EXPERIENCE
In April of 2017, I boarded a plan to a West African country with about 70 hatching eggs. The intention was to start a chicken farm solely on chicken breeds from pure breed American chicken from the US. Armed with one of those cheap yellow-top, 56 eggs incubator from Ebay (Chinese made), I thought I was ready to get our chicken farm going. Upon arrival, I plugged the incubator into the local electricity to warm up while I let my eggs settle overnight. The incubator got fried right away. We used 110volts in the US, they use 220 volts. The incubator was advertised as 220 volts capable.

Luckily for me, I met a local guy who knows about hatching eggs. I transferred the eggs to him to get them hatched for a fee. Mind you, these eggs were already more than a week old. Between the time I ordered them and the time that I left the US, these eggs were already about 10 days old. However, the last one that I ordered seemed to be fresher than the rest, as it arrived a day or two before my departure. It was 24 Rhode Island Reds hatching eggs. My chicks came back from the commercial hatchery, I got 13 Rhode Island Reds Chicks. One of them died within the first 12 hours.

They grew to be 10 hens and 2 Cocks. They started laying in September of 2017. We have been getting average of between 8 and 10 eggs daily from them. We now have almost 300 chickens.

My second trial was a total failure. I will not blame the failure on shipping. Rather I will blame it on the my second incubator and my total lack of knowledge. My second incubator is another yellow top, 126 eggs incubator of the same make as the first model, but has more egg capacity. I lost 80 eggs.

I got a new board from the Chinese company who sold the first incubator to me. I fixed it and got it ready for my third experience at hatching eggs.

120 eggs that includes RIR, Indian Jungle Fowl, La Bresse, Brahma among others, got into the incubators. Patiently, I waited 18 days and transferred the eggs into the hatching trays. I got one La Bresse cock, one RIR hen and one jungle fowl hen.

All of these experiences were before the first 12 RIR started laying. By the time that I went trough all these experiences, I was becoming a pro at failing at hatching eggs. My research brought me to this forum. I began the learning process.

Now having all these eggs coming from the 12 RIR, I decided to invest in a cabinet type incubator that handles 300 eggs. What a wise investment. I went from zero result to averaging 95 percent hatching rate from the 12 RIR eggs.

As at this writing, I am on the 4th day of incubating 240 eggs that traveled with me from the US few days ago. Luckily for me, I stumbled on the how to incubate shipped egg postings here. I have observed all posted protocols and now have my fingers crossed waiting for the 15 days' result. Meanwhile, I will candle in a few days to see my direction.

Please feel free to post questions. I will get some pictures posted here later.
 
omoige said:
I have been reading all about shipped eggs in this forum with rapt attention. In fact I have been gathering enormous knowledge about chicken in general, from this forum. Now I am beginning to feel guilty for not sharing my experience with you great people here. This is my VERY first posting about my Chicken experience thus far.

I am new to hatching. All that I know about getting my desired chicken eggs to my place of hatching bordered, 100 percent on shipping the eggs. Unfortunately for me, unlike most you in this forum who have tried hatching shipped eggs, I ship mine globally. And, yes, after these eggs go through the abuse levied on them by the USPS before arriving at my US home (plus the days spent in transit), I have to transport them in a checked in baggage on an 18 hour flight that exchanged planes 3 times, fly at the highest possible altitudes, got Xrayed with every plane changed. I know the reactions...Whao!!! And yes, I have done it 4 times, with my 4th try in the incubation as I am writing this post.

NOW MY STORY AND EXPERIENCE
In April of 2017, I boarded a plan to a West African country with about 70 hatching eggs. The intention was to start a chicken farm solely on chicken breeds from pure breed American chicken from the US. Armed with one of those cheap yellow-top, 56 eggs incubator from Ebay (Chinese made), I thought I was ready to get our chicken farm going. Upon arrival, I plugged the incubator into the local electricity to warm up while I let my eggs settle overnight. The incubator got fried right away. We used 110volts in the US, they use 220 volts. The incubator was advertised as 220 volts capable.

Luckily for me, I met a local guy who knows about hatching eggs. I transferred the eggs to him to get them hatched for a fee. Mind you, these eggs were already more than a week old. Between the time I ordered them and the time that I left the US, these eggs were already about 10 days old. However, the last one that I ordered seemed to be fresher than the rest, as it arrived a day or two before my departure. It was 24 Rhode Island Reds hatching eggs. My chicks came back from the commercial hatchery, I got 13 Rhode Island Reds Chicks. One of them died within the first 12 hours.

They grew to be 10 hens and 2 Cocks. They started laying in September of 2017. We have been getting average of between 8 and 10 eggs daily from them. We now have almost 300 chickens.

My second trial was a total failure. I will not blame the failure on shipping. Rather I will blame it on the my second incubator and my total lack of knowledge. My second incubator is another yellow top, 126 eggs incubator of the same make as the first model, but has more egg capacity. I lost 80 eggs.

I got a new board from the Chinese company who sold the first incubator to me. I fixed it and got it ready for my third experience at hatching eggs.

120 eggs that includes RIR, Indian Jungle Fowl, La Bresse, Brahma among others, got into the incubators. Patiently, I waited 18 days and transferred the eggs into the hatching trays. I got one La Bresse cock, one RIR hen and one jungle fowl hen.

All of these experiences were before the first 12 RIR started laying. By the time that I went trough all these experiences, I was becoming a pro at failing at hatching eggs. My research brought me to this forum. I began the learning process.

Now having all these eggs coming from the 12 RIR, I decided to invest in a cabinet type incubator that handles 300 eggs. What a wise investment. I went from zero result to averaging 95 percent hatching rate from the 12 RIR eggs.

As at this writing, I am on the 4th day of incubating 240 eggs that traveled with me from the US few days ago. Luckily for me, I stumbled on the how to incubate shipped egg postings here. I have observed all posted protocols and now have my fingers crossed waiting for the 15 days' result. Meanwhile, I will candle in a few days to see my direction.

Please feel free to post questions. I will get some pictures posted here later.
Click to expand...

I'll be very interested in your results. Fingers crossed for you. I have a cheap Chinese incubator I use for Button quail. I get great results from it despite temperature fluctuations. I think the fact they are my own eggs that get freshly set has a lot to do with my success. I've hatched shipped coturnix quail before (they didn't come far) and got less than 50% hatching.

What days will you candle on?

Good luck and keep us updated!
 
I am glad you mentioned the temp. fluctuation with those incubators. The novice that I was then, I had no idea of the fluctuation until it was too late. Then, I had to constantly calibrate, even while incubating eggs. It is just too cumbersome and it's like day and night with my current model.

I actually candled about five of the eggs today, randomly selected --day five. Blood veins are already forming.This is very obvious with the Leghorn eggs. The darker eggs are also shows dark clustering with a couple still looking like fresh eggs. I will do this again on day 10
 

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