Unlucky with Shipped Eggs

[SegiDream]

Um its been awhile since I've been on. But I bought my first batch of (pretty expensive!) shipped eggs. Waited several months for these. I followed all of the recommended steps, let them rest 24hrs before placing in the incubator, waited a few days before switching the turner on. On day 6 I candled and only 20% of the eggs show signs of life and these have saddled air cells. The others are clear with an air cell on the fat end but nothing else. I'm assuming either the eggs were not fertile or were seriously scrambled in shipping. I know that there is risk involved with shipped eggs, but this seems pretty unlucky.

1) Would it be understandable to ask for replacements considering the amount of $$$ paid into these?
2) When hatch day approaches, assuming they make it that long, should I place them in egg cartons? Which way if they are saddled?
3) How low are the odds of saddled eggs hatching?

 

[Debbie292d]

Um its been awhile since I've been on. But I bought my first batch of (pretty expensive!) shipped eggs. Waited several months for these. I followed all of the recommended steps, let them rest 24hrs before placing in the incubator, waited a few days before switching the turner on. On day 6 I candled and only 20% of the eggs show signs of life and these have saddled air cells. The others are clear with an air cell on the fat end but nothing else. I'm assuming either the eggs were not fertile or were seriously scrambled in shipping. I know that there is risk involved with shipped eggs, but this seems pretty unlucky.

1) Would it be understandable to ask for replacements considering the amount of $$$ paid into these?
2) When hatch day approaches, assuming they make it that long, should I place them in egg cartons? Which way if they are saddled?
3) How low are the odds of saddled eggs hatching?

I've had 4 dozen shipped to me from three different sellers last month. They were sent Priority mail, yet got to me 5-6 days later, not the 2-4 they say but can't do anything about that.

I did exactly the same as you did in preparation.

Clear ones are as you said, not fertile or got scrambled during shipment. Did you get them from eBay or a place where you can read comments from other buyers to find out the success rate of others?

The saddled ones hatched just fine. I did nothing different.

I wound up getting only about 20% each batch sent to me.

Last year when I ordered hatching eggs, I got around 70% both times. On my own, I get nearly 100%.

The only thing I can see for the difference is the USPS is just more careless than in the past? I don't know why else I'd have had such success before, but this year it's horrible. Of those that made it, they are gorgeous chicks, but wind up being about $30 per chick. I plan to breed them but the excess roosters and hens I'd sell for no more than that so losing $$ for now until they're old enough to breed.

Best of luck to you!

 

[mcdze]

i never noticed a huge issue with saddled air cells and have had 90%+ hatchrates with shipped eggs like that dropped straight into the bator out of the shipping box and started .. the factors that matter most are how prompt the place is at shipping, if they have the eggs packed securely, and how long it takes, and how fertile/prime age their flock actually is, is pretty important to hatchrate .. same as if they were your own eggs .. but again, 'saddled' has minimal bearing on hatchrate in my experience .. that said, pends what i paid .. if theyre selling eggs as a premium item id let them know about less than 50% hatchrate for sure, theyll likely send you more ..

 

[SegiDream]

I got them from a private seller that seems fairly reputable. I'll just have to see how they respond, told them I'd check again in a few days at day 10 to be sure. *sigh* Shipping only took 2 days to arrive, there were a couple small holes in the box when it arrived. I'd be tempted to do a road trip to get new ones if it werent for the gas and 2 days on the road at minimum. If the 3 viable ones hatch that would mean I paid about $60 for each chick...

 

[SegiDream]

Update: 16% hatch rate. Or only 14% when you count the "extras". Really really really really expensive chicks. Ugh. What a fool I am.

 

[EdgeC]

sure its not a incubator problem?

 

[SegiDream]

sure its not a incubator problem?

What makes you think it was an incubator problem?

 

[EdgeC]

What makes you think it was an incubator problem?

nothing specific, my incubator just came with a piece of paper on how to diagnose problems and all the symptoms were reduced hatch rate and it could be something as minor as being just .5-1 degree off at the egg area of the incubator. Especially if your thermostat sits elsewhere (not where the eggs are) in the incubator.

The ones that did hatch, did they hatch early? late?

 

[SegiDream]

nothing specific, my incubator just came with a piece of paper on how to diagnose problems and all the symptoms were reduced hatch rate and it could be something as minor as being just .5-1 degree off at the egg area of the incubator. Especially if your thermostat sits elsewhere (not where the eggs are) in the incubator.

The ones that did hatch, did they hatch early? late?

I built my incubator and I've hatched several batches around 90% hatch rate. The chicks in this batch hatched right on time. Temp at 99.5 throughout incubation, multiple thermometers and hygrometers placed in different areas and a fan for circulation. Even if the temperature was a little low/high there should've been signs of development by day 10.

I think the 3rd one didn't make it because it wasn't positioned well inside the egg. The 2nd chick almost didn't make it. It was zipping diagonally across the egg and got stuck and was trying to wiggle back around to zip the other side and but had a few little feathers shrink wrapped on a wing and was stuck from that.

I've never intervened in a hatch as much as I did with that one. Thankfully it really was fully ready to hatch but it really had me on pins and needles helping it out you have no idea. The first chick was dry and a little bigger and picked on him so they had to be separated. Then they had poopy butts cause they are quite fluffy in that area. So they had to have a nice little butt feather trims and baths. It was a bit chaotic the first couple days lol. I've gotta pick names for these 2 troublemakers.

 

[EdgeC]

I built my incubator and I've hatched several batches around 90% hatch rate. The chicks in this batch hatched right on time. Temp at 99.5 throughout incubation, multiple thermometers and hygrometers placed in different areas and a fan for circulation. Even if the temperature was a little low/high there should've been signs of development by day 10.

I think the 3rd one didn't make it because it wasn't positioned well inside the egg. The 2nd chick almost didn't make it. It was zipping diagonally across the egg and got stuck and was trying to wiggle back around to zip the other side and but had a few little feathers shrink wrapped on a wing and was stuck from that.

I've never intervened in a hatch as much as I did with that one. Thankfully it really was fully ready to hatch but it really had me on pins and needles helping it out you have no idea. The first chick was dry and a little bigger and picked on him so they had to be separated. Then they had poopy butts cause they are quite fluffy in that area. So they had to have a nice little butt feather trims and baths. It was a bit chaotic the first couple days lol. I've gotta pick names for these 2 troublemakers.

Im not a man to argue, you made your own and it can't be the incubator has to be the eggs even though everyone else has had no issues. World just must be conspiring against you, I hope the world sorts itself out soon. Best of luck.