Incubating "old" eggs?

The breeder I ordered Barnevelder eggs from, mailed them Priority on the 25th from South Carolina (I have a PO tracking # that shows that he did). They still haven't arrived and repeated calls to the Post Office have only given me the assurance that they will call me as soon as they arrive. They are 7 days old today, which most of the literature says is the end of high viability. I emailed the breeder (who has good feedback on egg.bid and who has been very nice--concerned that I let him know the condition of the eggs when they arrive) to ask about viability after 7 days. He said that chickens typically lay for 16-18 days before they set, so the eggs should be fine. He also said that the oldest egg he sent me would be 12 days old today and the youngest 6 days old. Does this sound right? Will eggs this old have decent viability?

I'm not too worried because he says he quarentees 70% viability at a week once I get the eggs and start incubating them. He also says to let him know how the incubation goes and one way or the other I will get baby Barnevelders. It sounds like he has been storing them properly, cool and not too dry. In other words he sounds like a good guy who stands behind his eggs, but I've never heard that eggs were 16-18 days old before the hen starts incubating them. Did I misunderstand the books?

What I interpret is that viability starts to drastically change after 7-10 days. but true about the hen, she won't set until she's done laying. Good luck, let us know your hatch ratio...Scott

Scott, I will let you know if I ever get them!

I understand viability the way you do. But I just assumed that hens lay for about a week before they set. How many eggs are in a normal clutch?

The breeder also said he stored them in a cool humid place in an egg turner--which I thought was pretty clever. I do trust that he will do the right thing--the PO is not his fault and he seems very concerned. I don't need a whole mess of Barnevelder--just a couple pullets will make me very, very happy!

Maybe someone at the PO also wanted Barnies to hatch? That is odd, I have had really incredible luck with eggs getting here in one piece (at least on the outside) and being on time too. Are there day-olds available from any local breeders?

soundl ike he stored them right. but in most cases they shouldn't save eggs more than three edays before shipping, and he collected for six... you will be having viability problems, i hope you didn't pay as much for yours as i did mine ;-(

No local breeders:-(.

TamaraFaye, I'm afraid you are right. Look at the excellent hatch rate of Granny with a very similar incubator--but with her own fresh eggs. That is the gold standard. I'm sure her eggs were handled gently and came from healthy, well-nourished hens. So I'm not expecting a great hatch rate. Just praying for pullets. Even one.

No, I didn't pay a fortune. More than I would on egg.bid--but I didn't have the time to go through the bidding.

This message was edited Apr 1, 2008 11:44 AM

well, crossing my fingers for a pullet. i have a friend who is very superstitious, and she has decided, and convinced her four year old daughter, that you can tell the sex of the chick by the shape of the egg. there is no reasoning with her. if only it could be true, she would be rich!

Called Ideal again this morning about Barnevelder eggs. Finally got a call back--but they now say they are having trouble hatching Barnevelder eggs for chicks, so the hatching eggs will not available until the end of May (instead of this week, which is what they emailed me last week). I said yes. But I am wondering, why they would be having trouble with just one breed hatching? After MMH this is making me nervous.

I haven't heard of predicting chick sex by egg shape--but I have heard the old needle on a string. If it moves back and forth--male, round and round--female. Same as human babies:o).

This message was edited Apr 1, 2008 2:07 PM

at least they are honest enough to do test hatching before shipping out eggs.

but trust your gut on this one. search around...

Here's some online bid places :

http://www.ovabid.com/index.asp

http://www.chixbid.com/

And I think theres one more if I can find it I will post it

http://www.poultrybid.com/index.php

here it is

Thank you LoraK--I'll get looking. I would like a double-laced, they are suppose to be the best layers.

thanks, just what i needed to feed the addiction... one more bidding site

have you googled Barnevelder eggs?

I have heard about the shape of the egg determining the sex, also. The long ones are supposed to be roos and round ones hens. Don't know how true it is and won't be able to tell with mine. I have no idea what I put in the incubator...just eggs!!

i have noticed that certain shpaes come from certain hens. and really, if it were possible, do you think hatcheries would have so many unwatned roos?

TF I noticed that one of my golden sebright hen always lays a long off white egg (she always lays in on the feeders) and one of the silkies lays a really pointy of white shaped like a guinea egg.
And catscan....did you get 'em yet? huh huh did ya did ya?? LOL

NOOOOOOO! They still aren't here and the tracking # is no help whatsoever--just shows they were mailed on the 25th. I'm not sure I should even try to set them if they come today.....

But I am very hopeful about more eggs arriving soon! ;0)

I emailed the Barnevelder breeder this evening, because the eggs still haven't arrived. He emailed right back and said he was sorry and that he would start collecting today and send new eggs next Tuesday. Which will make the eggs fresher than the first ones he sent.The Post Office flat out failed and has lost them--I'm assuming. There is still no tracking information beyond their being mailed on the 25th. The breeder is one that sells on eggbid and I think he is basically a good guy. I'm ready to be very happy again:0)

Wow, I would call the USPO and see what is going on. You should be recieving another delivery soon unless your postal worker likes eggs!

I am very excited, expecting a new delivery this week, LoraK! My incubators are both running well--a little problem with the humidity dropping, but it is manageable. I just realized that I will be able to use the second, homemade, incubator as a hatcher since its only defect is that I would have to manually turn the eggs--which I won't need to do for the last 3 days. The humidity also tends to stay a little higher in it than in the Little Giant. Perfect set up.

I was wondering about Sebright/Silkie crosses. What do they look like? Do they go broody? The books say Sebrights tend not to, but of course Silkies are wonderful broodies. What color are your Sebrights and Silkies? I am thinking I need a new coop......:-)

wow, that would be a neat cross! you would hope it would get the broodiness, may just depend. crosses, whatever they are, tend to go broody anyhow...

Cat, would you like some Buckeye eggs? i can gather today and mail tomorrow?

and i will only send nice round ones so you will get all hens.... LOL

tf

Hi TamaraFaye, I would love some Buckeye eggs! And yes, only send girl eggs! LOL. I am seriously interested in "nice" brown egg laying heritage chickens. Let me know how you want to set it up:-)

I am only interested in "nice brown eggs" also, but guess what? Today I got a white egg from one of my Black Australorps!!! Hmmmmm...

Hi Granny, are these one of your "throw back" Australorps with golden feathers from, was it Privett? Or MMH? I keep thinking of my long lost Aussie roos. Maybe they weren't really Aussies at all?

i have heard of passing Aussies as JGs, but i don't know what they attempt to pass off as Aussies... was this her first egg? wasn't there a thread about eggs that get lighter in color?

well, My Aussies and JGs and Buckeyes all lay beautiful brown eggs. my egg customers love them, and no-body around here seems to know about those dark chocolate ones. and i am not going to tell them until i can have some! can't wait to deliver a dozen black eggs from welsummer or maran pullets LOL

Did you get them yet? Did you get them yet? Did you get them yet? Hmmmmmmm

Nooooooo! I am the black hole of eggs! We lost our old postman who used to deliver at 10am. Now we have a "fill in" who shows up around 4pm--leaving very little time to get to the post office. Tomorrow I am going to file a complaint for the lost Barnevelder eggs. They were sent priority (2-3 days supposedly) with tracking and it has been 10 days already.

Not to worry though--I normally have good delivery. Never had anything not come through promptly before. The Barnevelder eggs never even made it to CA--they are lost somewhere between North Carolina and Lodi. I don't expect that to happen again!

I will let EVERYONE know as soon as I have eggs! Whether they want to know or not......:0)

Catscan, the only "throwback" Aussie is a rooster. So, it couldn't be him....LOL. They came from MMH last year. We have been getting a variety of brown eggs from these. They are "supposed" to be pure-bred Aussies. But I am inclined to believe they have a mix in them somewhere.

TF, no, it's not her first egg. She has been laying light tan eggs for a while. I don't know which hen it is, either. So, it does fit in with the others and we will probably eat it instead of selling it.

All of them are the same...no white ones there. That's why I don't know which one she is. The eggs we are getting range from the almost white one to a pretty brown including some speckled. Most of them are a medium brown.

BTW, I like the emoticon, where and how did you get them.

Help! The postman just delivered the "old" Barnevelder eggs. They were mailed March 25th and those eggs were bewteen 6-12 days old the day they were mailed. Meaning they are between 11 and 23 days old now. Should I try?

Blast it--I just opened the box and they are in perfect shape--not a crack. And only three long skinny boy eggs :0) I haven't candled them yet.......

This message was edited Apr 5, 2008 7:36 PM

What have you got to loose Catscan? Might be worth a try to see if any hatch though I would expect a very low hatch rate. I think you still need the replacements though. You could go ahead and file on them because technically they're ruined by the USPS slow delivery of live (sort a) material.

MollyD

I think you're right MollyD. I retired to the basement with a flashlight and toilet role: candling revealed that all but two of them have TAC. I wonder what those bad post people were doing to them? I should know within a week if any are viable. Right? If not, maybe an omelet?

i think you can tell in three days. and they aren't hmanly eidble because of the age and heat/cold.... i wouldn't do it!

so, ho wdid the PO person KNOW they would be here in "one more day"?

hope you get some good eggs soon! don't spoil the good ones by putting bad ones in the bator and getting your incubator full of germs!

tf

tf you think those eggs would contaminate her incubator? Then I guess they're not worth doing unless she has a small spare one.

MollyD

I don't know how the post office guy knew--? I think he was just trying to be reassuring. Do you think they have a secret room where they store all the perishable stuff til its gone bad? I sorta do:-).

I am worried about contamination, but I was reading somewhere that eggs will hold (that is not go bad) almost indefinitely (for months) if they are not washed and kept at reasonable temps. Of course I don't know what the temps have been for these for the last week. I'm using my little homemade incubator for this batch, since I have better eggs soon to arrive and I don't want to risk those:0).

I know it is silly, but I am just so happy that any eggs arrived....I was starting to feel like maybe I didn't exist.
These eggs are very nice--you can tell there were probably 3 or 4 hens laying them. Three are long and narrow. One is Jumbo and sort of dark taupe. One is smallish and darker. The rest are large and look like two different hens were laying them. I am sorry about the TAC--but I feel so much more hopeful that eggs really will arrive. If any more are unreasonably late, I will hit the roof!

Cat - I have had some really hard luck with eggs hatching lately, but honestly I would set the two that aren't TAC in your 'bator and sh**can the rest, then wait for your replacements. The last few times none of the TAC's have hatched, or if they developed at all, they never made it full term. Good luck - glad they finally made it to you.

Maineiac--I contacted the breeder and let him know about the TACs. He is sending replacements and says the eggs are probably too old to hatch--although I might get 3 or 4 to hatch at most. That suggests that 3 or 4 were the last ones he collected and are about 11 days old--just under the 14 day limit for hatchability. Not that that is a high rate of hatchability--that ends at 7 days--but I guess you will get some up to 14 days. Problem is I don't know if the non-TAC eggs are among the potential "young enoughs." But I am going to do as you suggest and try to hatch the non-TACs. They are dark brown--so it is going to be hard to candle them--I had to go into the basement with a maglite and really work to see the air cell.
How early do you think I should be able see some development? Spidery veins at 3 days? Four? Seven?

14 days is at optimum storage with 80% rH and 50-60 degrees F... let me know when you get your replacement eggs!