What happened?

[georgialee]

First let me say that I have a 100% hatch rate with my own eggs from my hens.

Now, I bought a dozen wheaten penedescenca eggs off ebay. They came, let them rest, put them in the 'bator. Candled a couple times, some didn't develop at all, about half quit half way through. 2 eggs made it to lockdown. It is now day 24. I could still see movement in 1 and I opened it. It died (which I feel awful about, but I'm 99% sure that it wouldn't have hatched). The membrane was still very bloody but the chick looked fully formed (I didn't take it out of the egg all the way, jut opened the top).

All the other eggs I set hatch on day 20, 21 at the latest. Was this one just an odd one, maybe genetic issues since most quit halfway through incubation? I'm bummed about it, just wondering what might have gone wrong.

 

[HHandbasket]

Hi there,

I personally have not had this happen because I do not order eggs through the mail, but I have read similar stories so many times from other users on here. Low to zero hatching rates are not uncommon with shipped eggs, and I have read thread after thread on here about people who have gotten poor hatch rates in particular from e-bay eggs. From what I've gathered reading other people's posts, the jostling that occurs in transit when eggs are shipped affects them and reduces their hatchability rate.

I've read too many threads about it to even consider ordering eggs to be shipped through the mail. If I cannot find what I'm looking for within a couple of hours' drive of my house, chances are I'm not going to try to hatch it. But that being said, there are people here who are very conscientious about how they pack/prepare fertile eggs for shipping, and their buyers have good hatch rates.

I'm so sorry your hatch went poorly. Here's sending you good hatching vibes for your next one!