Shipped hatching eggs viable?

[Just Ranchin]

Was pretty excited to win a 30 count of quail hatching eggs for Christmas from a sponsor of a livestream. I sent my information to the person who put on the stream per their instructions and expected to hear from the hatchery. A few days later I hadn't heard from them so I reached out. No response back so reached out another way. No response to date. Turns out they shipped them 12-30-24. No warning. No tracking information sent to me. No response back to my email or website "chat" contact. Tracking number (on the package) shows they traveled through the holiday but can't determine if they sat and for how long. They arrived today to our surprise. I had reached out to the shipper to find out the details of how it would work and when they would ship so I can prepare and have the incubator going. This was the first time I've gotten shipped hatching eggs. So I now have hatching eggs that traveled and probably sat over New Years. At the least the eggs are 8 days old. Incubator is set up and seems to be holding fairly steady but would have been nice to know they were coming so I could be sure all was good to go. Am I wasting my time trying to hatch these eggs? Pretty disappointed a hatchery would not even notify of a shipment let alone ship something like eggs over a known holiday when the post office won't be running. The person who put on the livestream had mentioned they probably wouldn't be shipped until after the new year so wasn't expecting them to even be shipped yet. Pretty disappointed all the way around. Thankful I didn't pay for them and certainly will not ever order from this seller after this. Should have know when I saw on their website they don't offer a hatching guarantee on purchased eggs. Seems most sellers do offer some sort of guarantee. So do I even try and incubate these eggs? I have them out of the box and sitting in their foam for 24 hours to let the air sack go back to where it needs to be.

 

[Slothinc]

If it were me, I would go ahead and incubate them. I would not even wait the full 24 hours either. I would probably go ahead and set them tonight since they are older eggs. If possible I would incubate with the large end pointing up, and I would rotate them while still standing on end 4-6 times a day. That’s just what I would do, you should do what you feel most comfortable with.

Thank goodness you didn’t pay anything for them, so if you don’t end up with anything at least you haven’t lost money. Good luck with your hatch. Sometimes they can still survive a rough shipment, and sometimes not. I hope that you are able to have some make it to hatch!

 

[nuthatched]

Sounds like a streamer you don't need to support. Shipping anything so delicate around the highrush holidays is bad form.

 

[Just Ranchin]

If it were me, I would go ahead and incubate them. I would not even wait the full 24 hours either. I would probably go ahead and set them tonight since they are older eggs. If possible I would incubate with the large end pointing up, and I would rotate them while still standing on end 4-6 times a day. That’s just what I would do, you should do what you feel most comfortable with.

Thank goodness you didn’t pay anything for them, so if you don’t end up with anything at least you haven’t lost money. Good luck with your hatch. Sometimes they can still survive a rough shipment, and sometimes not. I hope that you are able to have some make it to hatch!

They've been sitting in our package box since around noon and in the house for about 2 hours. So sitting relatively still for 6 hours already. I'll go ahead and put them in before bed. They will be sitting in quail rails upright (pointy end down) and automatically turned so should be ok?
I agree. I'm glad I didn't pay anything and now I know not to do business with them when I do want to get hatching eggs.
I'll be sure to post an update on here when/if any hatch.
Thank you for the help/advice!

 

[Just Ranchin]

Sounds like a streamer you don't need to support. Shipping anything so delicate around the highrush holidays is bad form.

I don't think the streamer has anything to do with it other than picking a winner. I send him my info and they forward it to the sponsor. I'm debating reaching back out to the streamer and let him know how it went but I'm not sure he will care. May just throw a comment in on the next livestream. The shipper sometimes joins the livestreams too.
I don't even know what kind of eggs these are. They offer many different kinds on their website. That was one of the questions I was wanting to ask the hatchery when I contacted them.
Thank goodness I have the incubator set up. Set it up last friday. Was working out the kinks to hatch some of our own eggs. Debating putting what eggs I have collected in with these just so we may get something to hatch. Would need to just figure out how to keep them separate at lockdown.

 

[Slothinc]

I don't think the streamer has anything to do with it other than picking a winner. I send him my info and they forward it to the sponsor. I'm debating reaching back out to the streamer and let him know how it went but I'm not sure he will care. May just throw a comment in on the next livestream. The shipper sometimes joins the livestreams too.
I don't even know what kind of eggs these are. They offer many different kinds on their website. That was one of the questions I was wanting to ask the hatchery when I contacted them.
Thank goodness I have the incubator set up. Set it up last friday. Was working out the kinks to hatch some of our own eggs. Debating putting what eggs I have collected in with these just so we may get something to hatch. Would need to just figure out how to keep them separate at lockdown.

If you have room, I’d put your own eggs in as well. I like to do the same thing when I get shipped eggs - it helps to negate the disappointment if I have some of my own chicks hatch in case none of the shipped eggs make it.

 

[Just Ranchin]

If you have room, I’d put your own eggs in as well. I like to do the same thing when I get shipped eggs - it helps to negate the disappointment if I have some of my own chicks hatch in case none of the shipped eggs make it.

That's what I was thinking. I had already started collecting some to start. That's why I had gotten the incubator set up last week. Should be able to fill the incubator with both the shipped eggs and our own eggs. Just have to figure out how to separate them at lockdown. Probably collect the eggs from today and add them also.

 

[Slothinc]

That's what I was thinking. I had already started collecting some to start. That's why I had gotten the incubator set up last week. Should be able to fill the incubator with both the shipped eggs and our own eggs. Just have to figure out how to separate them at lockdown. Probably collect the eggs from today and add them also.

Depending on the size and shape of your incubator, you can make little dividers out of cardboard or plastic to put the eggs in at lockdown. You can also use Tupperware trays without the lids on. Or little mesh zipper bags (seems like I have seen them sold as laundry sorting bags.) Keep us posted on your hatch - I hope it is very successful!!

 

[Just Ranchin]

Depending on the size and shape of your incubator, you can make little dividers out of cardboard or plastic to put the eggs in at lockdown. You can also use Tupperware trays without the lids on. Or little mesh zipper bags (seems like I have seen them sold as laundry sorting bags.) Keep us posted on your hatch - I hope it is very successful!!

Great ideas! Thank you! The Tupperware is a perfect idea and I think I have the right sizes for that. Will absolutely post updates here.
Eggs are in and we are off to the hatching races.

 

[CliftonQuail]

If you have an extra incubator, you could separate the shipped eggs from your own eggs at lockdown by placing one set in the other incubator.