Why can't I get my shipped chicken eggs to hatch?!?!

[Harley's girl]

I live in Ohio. I have had eggs shipped from Oklahoma and Florida so far, out of 46 eggs 2 hatched and only one of those are living!

I can hatch out my own eggs just fine. But with shipped eggs I have just had horrible luck.

I have a turner, forced air and still air incubators. And I have tried every which way to get my shipped eggs to hatch!!!

They will start out fine and get up to the hatching date and then die!!

WTHeck?? I even had one zip all the way around and then die. un I did get 1 of my Appenzellar Spitzenhaubens to hatch, then it died two days later!!!!

I just don't understand. I will open them up and some will have the yolk absorbed and some won't.

So I am wanting answers too! I just got some eggs from Washington. I am praying that they hatch. 4 more Appenzellar Spitzenhaubes. I want they chickens so bad I can't stand it! Good luck!

I hope that someone on here can help us!

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, Tori, I really want to be the one to break this run of bad luck with shipped eggs for you! And here we are shipping you some of the most sensitive eggs there are, these picky little Blue Orpingtons...I'll do my darndest with the packing, you know I will! I've had some with those wonky cells hatch, but last time, I had aircells that were half of the entire egg from shipping and it messed with my hatch rate, big time. Many of these eggs just came from the next state over from me, too. I've had eggs get from GA to CA I've sent and those people got them in two days and had marvelous hatch rates. You know those were flown, so that may not be the problem. Could be your Dorkings are also sensitive to shipping stress, just like the Blue Orps seem to be.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Tori do you know any truckers that come thur the states from Alaska or any going to Alaska, that could be an idea they are usally pretty good about transporting stuff so eggs shouldn't be a problem. Worth a shot if you don't know any maybe ask on your local craigs list or your local free cycle you don't know till ya ask and I tell ya sometimes those truckers are faster than mail.

 

[Struttn1]

This is my first year at hatching shipped eggs or should I say attempting to hatch shipped eggs. My first shipment was 7 Royal Palm turkey eggs. At the first candeling 5 of the 7 were bad. At the 2nd candeling still looked good for the 2 but at hatch time all but one of my own eggs hatched a 0 of the shipped eggs.

My second batch is in the hatch incubator now. I candled two weeks ago and had 4 of 6 with movement and 2 bad. The 4 were due to hatch today and so far not a pip.

I just sat 8 Royal Palm eggs from a 3rd shipment. If they bomb I am done with shipped eggs. I will order live poults from now on.

 

[Eggseronious]

I think if you narrowed it down, it will be in the air shipment. These airplanes are flying 25000 to 35000 feet. This has to make a difference just based on the pressure. I found a link that was tested in 1945 but you had to pay.

 

[Guitartists]

I had mine shipped from just a bit higher up in our own state and they were pretty good. 3 got scrambled in shipping, but otherwise I had a good hatch..... 1 out of 4 d'Uccles (2 scrambled and 1 died before pipping) and 6 out of 10 of the others. (1 other had died before pipping, 1 scrambled and the other 2 died somewhere around day 10-12)

I would certainly be worried if getting them shipped from California as that would be the longest possible trip to get to me. But, it won't stop me! LOL If there is a breed I can get no other way, I'd rather get 2 out of 24 than none at all.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Yeah... I'm pretty sure it's the air-cargo. I don't know that I have much of a choice either way, because the USPS uses other carriers to get their mail up here. It's flown up to Anchorage, and trucked down. I wonder if there's a way to specify that the package stays in a pressurized cabin. I'd pay extra for it if it would guarantee a better hatch rate.
I tossed 6 eggs yesterday, and all the eggs had developed but died at about 7 days. There were little bug-eyed embryos in every one of them, but the yolks had turned into that brownish green miasma of yuck.

I am not able to get the Dorkings, or Blue Orpingtons up here, and the closest hatchery is 250 miles away. And even then, he orders his chicks from Ideal and only hatches the common breeds like barred rocks, RIRs, etc. Definitely, one chick is better than none, but that one SG Dorking I have I figured is worth at least $100!!!

I could have shipped up a breeding pair of adults for that price!! But now, even though spring has just now taken hold here, the season for those breeds is just about over, so I'm stuck until next year. The Millie eggs from Peeps7 are doing the same thing... developing just beautifully until about day 7, and now they're dying off, a couple at a time. Every 5-6 days I candle, and there's blood rings and liquid goo.

My incubators are cleaned and sanitized after each use, and I wash before handling the eggs... and the fact that I DO get chicks, albeit only one, leads me to believe that it's something happening to the eggs during shipping.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

YOu might want to try a site call U-ship.com . You can ask for bids from shippers...some commercial...some mom and pop...and see how much it would cost to have someone bring them to you that is already coming that way. You would be able to tell them exactly how to handle the eggs along the way.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Just don't give up. You will get the ones you need.

Lots of hatching blessings sent your way

 

[KKluckers]

What states have you gotten hatching eggs? Maybe try one closer to you?