Shipped eggs

[palmerchick]

I have just tried hatching 3 different batches of shipped eggs and only got 4 chicks. One out of 2 different batches and 3 out of the other. I guess my question is , you get chicks does that mean that I still be doing something wrong? I am using 2 different Brinsea incubators and haven't checked the humidity, but have watched the temp with no problems. I did let the eggs settle for 24 hours and then I did put them on the turner, there seems to be some differing opinions on that.

I decided to try some more of silkies (3 cute ones from the first hatch) and Marans (only got 1 and don't want it to be alone). I also just got a sizzle this morning hoping another will hatch. I ordered from some people on this site this time, so maybe I will have better luck!

We are new to hatching, but loving it and any suggestions will be appreciated before I start the next batch.

 

[sumi]

Shipped eggs can be very difficult to hatch and their hatch rates are generally low. Someone said once it's around 50% on average and it's not uncommon to get single chicks or no chicks from a shipment! Sadly the PO are not going to handle those boxes with care, no matter how many "fragile" stickers you slap on it and the eggs often arrive in such a state it's near impossible to get a successful hatch from them. All you can do is keep trying. In this article you will get some tips for hatching shipped eggs. Best of luck!

 

[3BirdGirlz]

The more I incubate the easier it is for me....but with shipped eggs you never know what you're going to get! I also think some breeds are harder to hatch than others...but that's just my opinion.
I have a brinsea mini incubator and love it! I do use auto mode if I can, but I also hand turn eggs if I have more than what fits in the turner. Both ways have worked the same for me....but it's hard to remember to turn them sometimes I found certain areas of the country ship eggs better than others....I have a breeder in the south 1500 miles away, and the way she packs the eggs must help because I have ended up with about 90% hatch rate!!! That and her flock must be healthy to lay such nice eggs. I'm on my 3rd batch of eggs from her, and only 1 out of 15 eggs had a rolling air cell from shipping. We'll see how this batch turns out
Good luck in the future and keep trying!

 

[Shelly Chip]

I have only incubated 4 batches of shipped eggs. I think the way the eggs are shipped matters too. Three of the batches I had shipped in were just wrappped in bubble wrap and placed in shredded newspaper in the box. I had the lowest fertility/hatch rate with these. Those were all also polish chickens. I bought some silkie eggs as kind of a last minute add on to the last batch of polish I was incubating. The lady sent these in a carton placed with shredded newspaper around them in the carton and then the carton had been placed in a box with shredded newspaper. Now these eggs were left on my porch for a few hours. The postman had totally disregarded the "this end up" writing on the package and placed it sideways between my doors. I let the eggs rest in the egg carton for only 5 hours before placing them in the incubator. Every one of these eggs appears fertile, whereas it only looks like 4 out of 12 of the polish I had sent are developing. Same incubator/temps/humidity. Different type and different packaging and breeder. I know the postman was not careful with the silkies, yet they are my best fertility rate yet. Go figure.