So, if an egg doesn't start at all...

[hd_darcy]

Is it safe to assume it was not fertile? I have 14 eggs that I'm incubating. I'm on day 13 right now. I just cracked open 8 and all that was in them was pure yolk. I have 3 that are developing, and three that I'm 98% sure developed but didn't continue as they don't look like the three that are doing well... I kept them in there anyway, and will peek at them tomorrow night. I'm mostly wondering on the 8 I just cracked open if because they didn't develop at all, does that mean they were not fertile?? These were shipped eggs too.

TIA!

 

[tnchickenut]

Not exactly.

When you crack them open... check for a bullseye. (there are pictures on here if you google it) A egg can be fertile but still not develope for a number of reasons. Heat would be one of them and in this weather... probrably your most likely culprit. Also too much jarring durring shipping... or x-rays (which would effect all of them).

So, to answer your question... no, it's not safe to assume that.

 

[hd_darcy]

Thank you for the info! I didn't see any bullseye in any of them, and I was looking. But the yolks were very watery and they broke open right away, so if they were there, they would have been tough to see.

Since I have three developing, it's safe to assume they were at least not x-rayed?

 

[tnchickenut]

Here is a trick. Cool them off. When they are fresh out of the incubator they are hot... and runny. cooling them down first will firm up the yolks!

 

[Kedreeva]

Quote:
That's a really good trick, very useful so far.

I rarely assume infertility for shipped eggs. Shipping is SO hard on them that I'm surprised any survive the process at all.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
I rarely assume infertility for shipped eggs. Shipping is SO hard on them that I'm surprised any survive the process at all.

As someone who sells hatching eggs, I want to thank you for that. More often than not people will just say they are infertile. Most of the time, those same people are just starting out hatching or live in a extreme climate (like Northern Michigan in January or Miami in August)

It is a miricle that they hatch at all, to be honest, even if you put "fragile" all over the box - they still get dropped and tossed... then the trucks... imagine the heat in one of those trucks, then (if your postal worker drives like mine) they stomp the gas just to slam the break 100ft down the road. For that reason, you may get better results if you ask the seller to put your number on the box and tell your postal office to call when they come in. Even if it is later in the day when you can get down there to pick them up... they aren't taking a ride in a mail jeep.

 

[HBuehler]

They were shipped eggs...no matter how well you pack an egg think about the trip it takes..
We had 100% fertility in one of our pens..shipped eggs which I do frequently so not a newbie and the people got a 0% hatch even though the eggs were not broke.I also had the same thing happen to me got 24 clear eggs from someone I know had great fertility.It's not my mail carrier she handles my eggs like a newborn baby-get to know your carrier it helps.
A trick I have found with shipped eggs in over 100 degree heat..don't set them out for a day put them straight in a bator-I leave the turner off for several hours but don't let the eggs cool.Chances are they started in the mail..we are 106-110 not inside a truck when I started putting them straight in I had no blood rings vs a high amount when letting them sit.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
You are very right about them starting in the mail... The egg starts to develope at 99.5 F - doesn't matter if it was just laid or if it is already 2 weeks old, if it's in a box or in a 'bator.

 

[Kedreeva]

Quote:
Well, you're welcome for that and I try to pass on information about checking fertility any time someone thinks they want to get indignant about hatch rates. I also crack EVERY clear egg and make SURE if it was fertile or not. 99% of the time, the eggs have been fertile and I'll forgive the 1% that weren't because everyone has bad days, even chickens.

As for the hold.... you can tell them but if they're like my post office they don't really give a darn. I can't express how important it is for you to make friends with the postal workers at the office if you are expecting shipped eggs. Make sure you let them ALL know there are shipped, precious eggs coming in and express the importance of NOT shaking the boxes and NOT exposing them to heat or cold and NOT letting them go out with the normal mail on the truck! When you place payment for the eggs, make SURE the seller understands what to write on the box!

And a good tip for sellers.... DO NOT write 'hatching eggs' on the box. To you, this means precious ready-to-incubate eggs, but to someone who doesn't know better, 'hatching' is a verb, and they will shake the box to see if they can hear the chicks peeping as they hatch! Instead, mark the box "Live Embryos, Do Not Shake or X-ray". Many people who are ok with treating 'eggs' with rough handling may not be as inclined to damage an 'embryo'- it sounds more expensive and fragile, harder to replace and gives the package a life which needs protecting.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Well, you're welcome for that and I try to pass on information about checking fertility any time someone thinks they want to get indignant about hatch rates. I also crack EVERY clear egg and make SURE if it was fertile or not. 99% of the time, the eggs have been fertile and I'll forgive the 1% that weren't because everyone has bad days, even chickens.

As for the hold.... you can tell them but if they're like my post office they don't really give a darn. I can't express how important it is for you to make friends with the postal workers at the office if you are expecting shipped eggs. Make sure you let them ALL know there are shipped, precious eggs coming in and express the importance of NOT shaking the boxes and NOT exposing them to heat or cold and NOT letting them go out with the normal mail on the truck! When you place payment for the eggs, make SURE the seller understands what to write on the box!

And a good tip for sellers.... DO NOT write 'hatching eggs' on the box. To you, this means precious ready-to-incubate eggs, but to someone who doesn't know better, 'hatching' is a verb, and they will shake the box to see if they can hear the chicks peeping as they hatch! Instead, mark the box "Live Embryos, Do Not Shake or X-ray". Many people who are ok with treating 'eggs' with rough handling may not be as inclined to damage an 'embryo'- it sounds more expensive and fragile, harder to replace and gives the package a life which needs protecting.

I do write "please don't leave in direct sun" and "please do not x-ray", "fragile".... and "hatching eggs". I think I will take your advice and try "live embryo" on Monday's shipment.

I appriciate you passing that information along... most people are really great, but there is always one or two a year who had a bad hatch for whatever the reason and they just assume it is all your fault and they can (and often do on ebay) get ugly about it. Those are the times that I really feel like just walking away from selling hatching eggs... so please... spread the word. Make a t-shirt. Buy a billboard. lol.