very low hatch rate?

[Birdman18]

I've been incubating 15 Golden Pheasant eggs in my incubator and their hatch day was this past Wednesday. I ended up with only 2 chicks, 1 that I had to help today ended up dying a few hours later and the lonely chick has a problem with it's leg I think its either curled toes or splayed leg. I was expecting more to hatch than 2 I doubt any more will hatch as tomorrow would be day 26. I had a quail hatch in there too that did very good with about 20 chicks. Maybe the low hatch rate was due to the fact that these were shipped eggs through the mail, maybe? I really want to raise some golden pheasant chicks and want to try again. Do you guys recommend me to order more eggs and try again? Or will I just get a low hatch rate again whenever I order shipped eggs.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thank You!

 

[kitchenchick]

I've had low hatches this year out our RG and YG. This is our first year hatching both colors (purchased parent stock). I'm trying to figure out what's going wrong for us, too. I wish I could give you some insight, but seems like we're in the same boat. Good luck! I'm going to follow this thread to see the advice the others give you.

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

Hello,
Shipped eggs are always notorious for that and if you do get some that hatch they will have feet problems. If you can buy birds and then just wait fot them to get old enough to have them,
I had the same problem when I ordered eggs also I got horrible hatch rate. So I purchased some adults 2 yrs ago and now I am overrun with many many chicks of both the Red, Yellow, Amherest. Hoping that I can sell all of them


KitchenChic: Depending on how long ago you bought your birds they may not have gotten over the stress, or the birds you got are old and not really in the time anymore, What are they doing for you not to get chicks?

Hope some of this helps,Let me know if you have any other questions maybe I can help
Patty

 

[Tony K T]

I would buy eggs locally if I had to buy them.I find it best to buy a young pair of birds.It ends up being much cheaper then trying to hatch them out.There are a bunch of people in N.Y. that raise pheasants.In Oct they have a huge auction in Batavia at the fairgrounds.I don't know the date,but they do send a card with the date on it.There are a lot of birds there,not only pheasants,but quail,finches,emu,swans,ducks,geese,parrots,all kinds.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Birdman18]

Thank You Everyone for your replies!

I didn't know that shipped eggs would give such low hatch rates. I will keep this in mind for next time. I actually ordered these eggs from PA, didn't think it would affect the shipping distance but I can see how it still does.
I will think about those suggestions, to instead find a young pair of birds instead of ordering eggs. Then if I still want to hatch some eggs I'll hatch the eggs from the young pair when they mature of course.


Thanks Again!

I appreciate it
Mike

 

[Goldenpheasantlover]

I had a similar problem. Bought 6 RG eggs that were shipped to me and only had 3 hatch, and 2 died pretty soon after hatching.
But then I bough another 6 eggs from a different seller and out of 6 I have 5 fertile ones that are due to hatch next Tuesday...
Perhaps your incubator settings are off?

 

[cva34]

Shipped eggs are a dice roll.Yea I do it and have had great luck and no luck .But in many cases where else can you get (whatever breed) your looking for..Just remember the environment these eggs are subjected to.If there packed well then there there still subjected to ;Hot/Cold uncontrolled endowment.in truck/plane.Boxes dropped/crushed/thrown around /sat in a delivery truck for hours in hot sun /or freezing cold.Just the way it is!..Then of course its the breeder could be problem. Yes as said buy locally but sometimes you can't.Then think about the above.I try to watch the weather(between here and there) and pick my ordering time.Its not the answer but it seems to help.And above all Have your INCUBATOR running like a fine tuned machine;so you can not blame it...cva34

 

[Birdman18]

Thank you cva34, I will keep that in mind. I definitely will try again and not give up. It might of just been the environment they were shipped in.

Thanks Again
I appreciate it