I placed my shipped eggs in two incubators (Brinsea Ovation and Hovabator) and also some from my own chickens for variable (which I always do). Brinsea: I had turn automatically. Hovabator: I hand turned. First two days I didn’t turn them and had them pointy end down. I had 100% of my 8 eggs from the backyard hatch (4 in each incubator). This last particular shipped batch was completely wrapped in bubble wrap and what I felt was ridiculously over taped, the air pockets looked phenomenal compared to most shipped that are saddlebacks differing in degree. Most of the shipped eggs looked good at day 8 (a couple blood rings and one that didn’t take off). I was expecting a good turnout. I usually do a second look during lockdown, but I didn’t do that this last time. On day 25 I cracked open the eggs to see what happened. 2 out of 30 hatched. The rest died at differing stages and some were fully developed and dead. Looking at all the shipped eggs that I have hatched, all of the bubble wrapped eggs (except one batch which the eggs weren’t completely covered with the bubble wrap and barely taped that gave about a 95% hatch rate) have done horrendous compared to others wrapped with bounty towels, toilet paper, shavings, or similar. I guess this last hatch really stunned me. Any advice on shipped eggs would be phenomenal.
Thank you so much for your input, and I love your witty mystery for the chicken gods! That bad burst of weather came while the eggs were in the incubator. We never lost electricity, but it was definitely a little bit cooler. Throughout the few years of shipped eggs, I always felt like the ones bubble wrapped performed worse or not at all (except the one I mentioned that wasn’t fully wrapped and left the two ends to air, even in what seemed like prime weather to buy. I guess I am curious why you would want a bunch of bubble wrapped eggs? And have you had better hatches with fully bubble wrapped vs foam or paper type fillings? I still wonder if the eggs are being cut off from a certain amount of oxygen? If a living organism was put in a sealed off box, how long would it be okay with the amount of oxygen in that box? That’s where my thinking goes with the eggs completely wrapped in bubble wrap and heavily taped up. Shipping is obviously rough! What’s truly the best packaging for best possible hatch of shipped eggs? Also, what are your opinions on the eggs being shipped horizontally or vertically with pointy end down? Do you think that can help prevent the saddlebacks from being as bad?
