Worst news possible :(( UPDATE: DANCING BABIES!!!

[ebonykawai]

Something was gnawing at me. I knew I wasn't seeing much of anything in my eggs. Maybe in one, but I wasn't sure. The rest, nothing. Today is day 6. I went to Sears and bought a 120 lumen flashlight. I couldn't wait for the Surefire to get here. My insides were telling me "Something's not right."

I candled again. Nothing. It just looked like liquid mush to me. So I told myself, just for learning's sake, I'm going to crack this egg open and see exactly what I'm seeing.

Broken yolk. No development. Damaged in shipping, I'm certain. So far, I've cracked 5 of my 18 and they are all the same. I knew what I was seeing was NOT what I've been studying all this time. I knew it.

Have to get back to candling the rest. I have very little hope. I think the shipping was just too rough. I think they're all goners.

 

[BrahmaMama]

I am so sorry

The sad reality of shipping eggs, such a heart breaker.

to you.

 

[BamaChicken]

That stinks. I will pm you

 

[ebonykawai]

J, you are such a sweetie.

I'm not going to try shipped eggs again. I'll just do day olds. I don't trust the post after this. These poor things were scrambled more than if I was making an omlet.

GAH. I could just strangle someone at USPS.

 

[Leslie In North Pole]

:aww Oh, never say never. I promise it isn't always that way. I live in Alaska and I have eggs sitting in my bator right now from LA that were sent priority and had to travel on multiple planes to get here. These babies have traveled more than 3300 miles and I have at least two out of the four eggs developing at day six.

I know how you feel on eggs being scrambled but I promise that isn't usually the case. I always want to read that someone is having a great hatch and I am always sorry to hear when that isn't the case.

 

[ebonykawai]

Is there any way possible that maybe I killed them?? Or do you think it was probably shipping? The yolks were SO scrambled and there was no development in them. How breakable are yolks? Can you scramble them by turning the eggs or moving them or candling them? Are they really delicate?

Feeling so unsure of myself now.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

only way for you to do it is to shake the box like a christmas present or shake each egg before going into he bator

 

[coffeemama]

So sorry-hope this doesn't happen with my eggs on their way to me.

 

[ebonykawai]

Stevie, thanks for letting me know. I was careful and gentle, like they were babies. It must have been the post, then.

Well, I still have a few that may possibly be growing. I'm not sure. I saw a speck in my 8 remaining eggs (I started with 18). I have no idea what that might be until a few days pass. I will wait until Sunday and candle again. By then I should know if I really saw a speck or imagined it.

Another question: can a chick develop with a broken yolk? Only one of the eggs I cracked open had any development, but it didn't look alive to me. The yolk needs to be intact for a chick to hatch, right? Mixing of the yolk and albumen is bad, right?

 

[silkiechicken]

Sorry for your loss. They were probably compromised during shipping and 6 days in the bator as a non developing egg will weaken the yolk to a point where if you open the egg, it can break instantly.

Good luck next time. Hope for better luck.