Complaints about hatching eggs

[Mike Gilbert]

Just as a side note, I received 18 hatching eggs in two different shipments from Nita at Cedarpond Farm in Florida a few weeks ago.   I let the eggs set still for 12 to 24 hours to allow the air cells to stabilize at the large end before setting them in the incubator.   Result:  17 fertile eggs.   I accidentally broke the 18th one removing it from the styrofoam packing.     Nice job Nita!

[Coyote]

I feel the need to add my 2 cents to this- I have a good friend who was deployed in Afganistan and asked me to hatch some eggs for him to have chicks when he gets home. These eggs all came from \"name brand\" breeders. The first dozen from Florida were rotten when I got them-candled and thru out-the 2nd 2 dozen came from Wisconsin and were all good when candled-not due to hatch for 12 more days-got the 3rd 15 yesterday from California-5 were rotten when candled and put the balance in the bator. I know he paid quite a lot for these eggs and don\'t understand why they would be rotten? I even picked them up at the post office. When I ship eggs I never ship anything older than 4 days to insure hatchability and the only complaints I\'ve had are that I don\'t have more available. My girls just started laying everyday 2 weeks ago.
All comments on shipping age welcome :rolleyes:

[John]

rotten when I got them-

What do you mean by \"rotten\" and how do you know eggs are rotten before incubating them?  

[Mike Gilbert]

I will echo John\'s question.   Oftentimes the air cells will become distorted due to handling/pressurization issues enroute.  That is why I let them set still with small end down for 12 to 24 hours before incubating them.   Even then, the air cells may not be \"right,\" but it is still possible to get chicks from them.    Now if you broke the eggs open and the eggs smelled rotten we are talking about a different issue.

[Coyote]

I did not open them-perhaps I should have-when I candled them there was no discernable air sac and had dark spots in them and \"sloshed\" when moved. The first ones I put in the bator for 7 days anyway and no change(scared to death they were going to blow up. Maybe I am being over cautious? I will try your method of letting the settle before putting in bator. I was under the assumtion the fresher the better for fertility? I normally only hatch my own eggs so am a real amateur at hatching shipped eggs. I put eggs in every 7 days so nothing is older than 7 days. I guess I need lots of help Mike

[John]

fresher the better for fertility?

Not so much for fertility, but for hatchability.
I seldom candle eggs and don\'t think I\'ve ever candled ones that weren\'t incubated for several days first, so this is new territory for me.  
Thanks for explaining,

[cedarpondfarm]

Coyote,

just wanted to make clear that the rotten eggs from Florida were not from me.
 
The eggs I sent to Mike were my first attempt at shipping and I took his advice on packaging.

Nita

[Coyote]

No-definately not from you-they were standard buff rocks I think- unfortunately my friend doesn\'t do Ameraucanas....YET

[Guest]

Unless eggs explode in the indubator,  there really isn\'t a way to tell  by candeling if they are rotton.

I\'m sorry you threw away eggs that night have been ok with a rest before incubating.

Another note, you can put shipped eggs in the incubator after letting them stand for 24 hours, but don\'t  turn for 10 days. It increases the hatch rate from eggs that have broke air cells.

Sue

[John]

eggs explode in the incubator

That was my understanding of rotten also and that\'s why I asked Al what she meant by it.  I hadn\'t heard of candling eggs before incubating.  I incubate over 2,000 eggs each year and probably get one or two rotten ones...none so far this year...and you can tell by the smell.

[cedarpondfarm]

I had a couple of eggs in the incubator with scattered black polka dots around day 10.  Since they were the only ones like that, I threw them out because I thought they were bad.  

Mistake??      

[Coyote]

looks like I have a lot to learn-did not know if air cell was scattered it could come back together-but what about the small dark spots? Anyone?