Tell me about your experience with shipped eggs

[MadamPoofyBrow]

I am thinking of ordering some Silkied Serama hatching eggs. But, of course, they're kinda very expensive

And I've read that hatching eggs don't hatch so good once they've been through the mail.
Just wondering how well other people have done with mail-order hatching eggs, and if it's worth a try.
I am ordering a new incubator, a digital genesis hovabator 1588 circulated air incubator, which I've heard has really good hatch rates. I have hatched hundreds of chicks from my own birds, with really great hatch rates (80-100% every time). Just so you know what I'm working with
Thanks in advance!

 

[nchls school]

My wife has ordered me eggs off ebay a number of times. Here are the results and you can decide ...: 8 golden pheasant eggs-1 hatched. 20 serama eggs-11 hatched. 6 Japanese bantam eggs-0 hatched. 12 more Japanese bantam eggs (given free when the first 6 did not hatch except for shipping)-5 hatched. I plan on trying some frizzle serama eggs come spring. All of these eggs were hatched under broody hens.

The 20 serama eggs came from two different sources; 8 and 12. The 8 produced chicks that were serama. The other 12 were not serama-just small bantams with no serama traits at all. So, of the 11 chicks that hatched from these eggs I got 4 nice serama.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

My wife has ordered me eggs off ebay a number of times. Here are the results and you can decide ...: 8 golden pheasant eggs-1 hatched. 20 serama eggs-11 hatched. 6 Japanese bantam eggs-0 hatched. 12 more Japanese bantam eggs (given free when the first 6 did not hatch except for shipping)-5 hatched. I plan on trying some frizzle serama eggs come spring. All of these eggs were hatched under broody hens.

Thanks for the info! The Seramas seem to have hatched pretty well! I could probably get one of my Silkies to brood them since eggs seem to hatch better under hens.

 

[nchls school]

Thanks for the info! The Seramas seem to have hatched pretty well! I could probably get one of my Silkies to brood them since eggs seem to hatch better under hens. 

I prefer broody hens to incubators; I have read posts from others that think incubators work better for shipped eggs.

 

[appps]

I've done it twice though didn't have the experience you do first. First time incubating, put four in the incubator and six under my broody (2 cracked in transit) and the broodie hatched one on day 25. For some reason four others got right up to hatch stage but never hatched under her. My incubator ones never even made it to day 10 but pretty well 100% sure that was me not having it ready before they got here because I'd thought they would all fit under my broodie but not even close.

Second time did the same but organised incubator first this time. Lost four in transit smashed everywhere. Put six under the silkie but only one developed. One in the incubator developed. They both had saddle shaped air cells with the one under the silkie being the worst. After the non hatches last time and because of the shocker of an air cell at about day 17 I took her egg and added it to the one in the incubator and then hatched them both upright in cut off egg cartons. Both hatched on day 21 though the hens one hatched in about an hour from pip to out and still had the cord attached but was all good, eventually came off.

 

[song of joy]

I've only tried once with shipped eggs: 0 for 9. The air cells were detached and the egg contents scrambled. One made it to lockdown and pipped, but failed to hatch.

 

[jhopp6]

I've had mixed results, as there are so many variables. Distance, weather, health of the flock. I've used both an incubator (Brinsea) and my broody Silkie hens. I currently have 10 Silkie chicks that are 3 months old, all from shipped eggs. I live in Wisconsin, and the eggs came from Florida and Missouri. I currently have 4 BR eggs in the bator that are hatching as I type this. So, I would say give it a try! Maybe start with inexpensive eggs first to see how it goes. Good luck!

 

[MeepBeep]

When it comes to shipped eggs, for me the price has to be 33% or less what the cost of live chicks would be before I really consider it profitable...

I have had great hatch rates with shipped eggs and zero hatch rate with shipped eggs, so I consider a 50% hatch rate with shipped eggs to be good but also set my expectations lower...

There is just to many unknown variables with shipped eggs, and ironically sometimes getting them shipped in from further away is actually better as they spend more time secured on a pallet in a plane then they do bouncing down the road in a truck across state lines...

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I am thinking of ordering some Silkied Serama hatching eggs. But, of course, they're kinda very expensive

And I've read that hatching eggs don't hatch so good once they've been through the mail.
Just wondering how well other people have done with mail-order hatching eggs, and if it's worth a try.
I am ordering a new incubator, a digital genesis hovabator 1588 circulated air incubator, which I've heard has really good hatch rates. I have hatched hundreds of chicks from my own birds, with really great hatch rates (80-100% every time). Just so you know what I'm working with
Thanks in advance!

Lets just say that I have had more total failures hatching eggs shipped through the mail than I have enjoyed 100% hatches. Everything being equal, February, March, or April eggs will give you a better chance of success than eggs laid in August, let the buyer beware.

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

Thanks for the info everybody! There seem to be a lot of variables! It sounds like if I do do it, I need to at least wait til spring. The eggs are from a well known show breeder, so I'm hoping they'd know what they were doing with shipping???
Also, if I do order them, when the eggs come in, do I put them directly in the incubator or let them sit and rest for awhile?