What's the most common issue with shipped eggs?

[HHandbasket]

Hi everyone,

I am curious as to what is the most common issue with shipped eggs? I currently have a batch of eggs in the incubator which are a mixture of eggs I purchased locally and eggs I had shipped. I had a humidity drop early in incubation, and I know that affects air sac size... but the shipped eggs I got have all developed these GINORMOUS air cells, and I am not sure if the chicks are still alive. They appeared to be alive when I candled last Tuesday (day 11), so I left them in there, but it was really hard to tell. They go into lockdown this coming Tuesday, should be hatching on Good Friday. Some of the air sacs appear to take up about 1/3 of the egg and are irregularly-shaped. This phenomenon did not occur in any of the non-shipped eggs I have in the bator. This is also my first experience in trying to hatch shipped eggs. Does something occur during the shipping process (jostling?) that causes the air sacs to be like that? There were 3 different breeds of eggs from this shipment, and they all have the big air cells. Can viable chicks still hatch in spite of the funky air cell/air sac development?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[petunias212]

My biggest issue is SCRAMBLED eggs due to shipping....should say was because out of 18, I only have 3 left in the incubator and one of them has a huge, huge egg cell like you mentioned...I even posted a picture I drew of it because I couldn't explain it....It was in the shape of a horseshoe as one described it...or a giant U....very weird...from what I read, it's some sort of displaced egg cell and I should have let the egg on it's side for at least 24 hours to give it a chance to settle....not sure how the chick is surviving so far, but it is...plenty of movement...but I was told, these chicks end up dieing in their shells for whatever reason....

Quote:

 

[petunias212]

This is what my egg cell looks like:

this is what a normal egg cell should look like:

 

[SourRoses]

Well, Handbasket, you know more than me!

But... wasn't I reading on here some time back... someone was saying that the older an egg is, the larger the air cell, as the moisture decreases during storage... and this was a common reason for overly large air cells? It's also possible that the eggs you recieved are somehow more porous than the other eggs. I don't believe that anything could happen during shipping itself that would cause an air cell to enlarge... Though of course one of the most frequent problems is the detached air cells... but if they settle during initial incubation, they can hatch fine.

As long as you can do so without risking the other eggs, I would say.. Up the humidity as much as you feel comfortable with.
I really hope they hatch for you.. and can enjoy their fabulous new home!

 

[petunias212]

Try using the search engine and put in "weird shaped" egg cell or "large" egg cell, seems from the hits that I got, majority of people complaining of weird or overly large egg cells, got their eggs shipped, so could it have been from how long the seller had the eggs stored as they waited to gather enough eggs to send off? Could be. though I haven't had success with such eggs and did read that the end results aren't positive, some of the posters said they didn't have a problem hatching the little buggers..they seemed to hatch well...difference in opinion which is typical, seeing as a lot of factors go into a hatch...

 

[lebentier]

Keep us posted...I hope they hatch for you.

 

[jenlynn4]

The most common issue is broken or mis shaped air cells...scrambled or broken eggs is next, then infertility due to x ray is 3rd in my opinion. and I have shipped probably thousands of eggs in my 10 years of doing this and received hundreds in.

 

[Denninmi]

Well, I will say this much, from the perspective of the customer.

The majority of eggs I ordered have arrived in very good condition, well packaged and therefore with just a minimum of breakage. I've never had any that failed to produce at least some successful hatchlings. So, I would say care and skill in packaging is the number one thing the seller can do to help ensure success. I received one set of about 60 quail eggs last year that took me close to an hour to unwrap, because each individuall egg was double wrapped, and then they were sealed in sets into cartons that were also wrapped.

The second factor is completely beyond control of both the buyer and seller, and that is the trip through the mail. Last summer, when it was hot, I ordered several sets of quail eggs, knowing it was a gamble, because I didn't want to wait for cooler weather. All made it, but I'm sure I would have had better hatches if I'd been able to wait until fall.

Finally, the other factor the seller can control is the quality of the breeding operation, from the condition of the birds to the cleanliness of the cages and the skill and care of the collection process. I just received some goose eggs that were coated in feces -- that really made me mad. And they were not particularly well packaged for the trip, either, just a single layer of the thin, small cell bubble wrap around each egg, and some crumpled newspaper in the box. The person said they would send me more, but so far not a peep.

I think what would be really helpfu would be a set of guidelines for everyone to agree upon and follow, a "Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for Shipped Hatching Eggs".

 

[HHandbasket]

I will candle Tuesday afternoon a few hours before lockdown and will see if any of them are still alive. I sure do hope so, and I certainly wouldn't blame the breeder/seller if they don't hatch. I think it's one of those things that's just inherent sometimes when eggs are shipped. They were very well-wrapped, and the seller included all the appropriate paperwork and took all the appropriate steps.

These are white faced black Spanish eggs... those chickens are about impossible to get your hands on. Took me forever to even find someone with hatching eggs. I have nothing against hatchery birds, but this is a beautiful breed I want to work with and maybe even start breeding, so I didn't want to get hatchery stock for these (I think a couple of the major hatcheries sell the chicks).

 

[Kramsharp]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would put in some input for any future readers.
I live on a small island so unfortunately most of my eggs are shipped,until I hatch enough for my own eggs. The horseshoe air sac above is none viable, if it does develop the chick will be small and weak, probably best not to hatch, the same goes with any abnormally large air sacs,
It is imperative you sit the egg pointed end down for 24 hours before setting, this allows any small air bubbles to reform, it is also important to make sure the eggs are at room temp before setting.
Unlike normal eggs they must be placed in the bator pointed end down, this gives the airsac chance to develop, I find it best if you do not turn any shipped eggs in the bator for the first 6-7 days to allow the airsac to develop and strengthen,

Hope this helps