My $100 Chick! Hatching Shipped Eggs...

How did I end up with a $100 chick? Did I get a super fancy and rare breed? Was this a one time budget buster decision on a whim? Nope! This was a well thought out and planned purchase that simply did not go the way I hoped it would. Will this ever happen again? Likely, yes! This, my friends, is a story about hatching eggs.

Early on in my hunt to complete the egg rainbow within my flocks, I started hatching my own chicks. It was exciting and fun! Plus, I learned a lot about the whole incubating/hatching process. I was hesitant to buy hatching eggs for a while though. I read about the risks and worried that I would end up with an unsuccessful hatch. Eventually I decided to take the plunge and order hatching eggs. I was so excited! My first shipped hatching eggs order went well, I thought. I had just under a 50% hatch rate. Now that I had this little bit of experience under my belt, I branched out and ordered again.

A few of my first hatches! The first two pictures are of eggs within our little homemade incubator, and the far right picture is an egg hatching in our first purchased incubator.

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My next order was a big deal to me! I did my due diligence and found a reputable breeder of those beautifully dark egg laying Marans. My order was just over $100. Now, that may not seem like much to our chicken friends that are breeding and growing their flocks with purpose, but it was a lot to me at this point with my flocks. I simply wanted pretty eggs in my cartons for our family and the growing list of customers that purchased eating eggs from us. My order was made, paid, and shipped. The eggs arrived in pristine condition! I made everyone in my family come see them! I was elated! I followed the instructions you can find on so many blogs and websites, including my own now, and I let the eggs rest big end up in an egg carton for 24 hours. I started up my incubator the moment they arrived so everything was ready for this momentous hatch. After the 24 hours was up, I loaded the precious eggs into my prepared incubator. Now it was time to wait...monitor my incubator...and wait more!

Let's fast forward to lockdown day. I don't remember exact details about this day. I just remember that most of the eggs had no or little development. I was disappointed, but I held out a bit of hope that I would still get a couple chicks from this already small hatch. There were a couple that looked like it was possible they were developing. Marans eggs can be especially hard to candle since they are so dark and often have a thicker bloom. I believe that I left three eggs in the hatching basket. I waited in anxious anticipation for hatch day. Hatch day came, and I had one little chick. The other eggs in with this one had zero development.

Until I knew if this little one was a roo or a hen, we all just referred to it as "My $100 Chick." That is a long name, and it still makes me laugh a bit! He grew out to be a beautiful rooster. My hubby named him "Duracell." He was my first Marans with dark egg laying genetics. Of the generations after him, I continue to use the name Duracell for the main rooster from his line. My hatch didn't go great, really. It could have been worse though, 0% hatch rate. I am thankful that it produced the single lovely bird that it did.

One of our Marans roosters out of Duracell's line that now covers hens in one of our Woodland OE flocks

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Since hatching out Duracell I have hatched eggs from other farms, locally and shipped, and have had hatching rates from 70% all the way down to 0%. I would love to type up all of the steps to ensure even a 50% hatch every time with eggs from off the farm/not from our flocks. There truly are just too many variables for that. I have typed up a simple checklist of things I do to help ensure my hatches have the best possible outcome. This is not a hatching guide...more of a prep checklist. :)

Your incubator is important. Investing in a quality incubator that works well, in my opinion, should be the first step in hatching chicks. I had a cheap incubator for a while. It did not keep consistent temp/humidity. Honestly, our homemade incubator was better-although needing constant monitoring and adjustments. There are many quality incubators out there. Do your research and find one that fits your needs with quality and consistency at the forefront.	Buy your hatching eggs from a reputable breeder. Preferably, find a breeder that tests fertility frequently, even better, that hatches out from their own flocks often. A good breeder puts much time and effort into their flocks - both health and genetics. They will want you to have a great hatch!	Whether it is a car ride across town or your eggs were shipped across the country, eggs can be damaged in transit. The air cell, internal membranes, and embryo within an egg are delicate. Let your eggs rest for 24 hours with the big end up before you place them in the incubator. This allows the yolk to settle back into the proper position before incubating, if there is not damage to the membranes.

What have I learned from this hatching experience and the many like it to follow? I know we can all read about the risks that come with buying hatching eggs, and totally agree - whether we are reading it now, on another site, or the disclaimer at checkout the moment we are buying more hatching eggs! Knowing that doesn't necessarily take away how disappointing it is when the hatch doesn't turn out. Worrying about how things go with the hatching eggs I drop off or ship out weighs heavily on me. In fact, I often consider removing hatching eggs from the website. But then I remember that seeing the eggs themselves and the possible egg color genetics the life within could add to my flocks is important to me, too. I want to be able to share that with others!

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In the end, hatching eggs can be risky. We try our best, but some hatches don't work out as we hope they would. Thankfully, there are reputable breeders out there that sell hatching eggs, and many also sell chicks. If hatching eggs yourself isn't worth the risk, buying precious littles from a reputable breeder that shares similar values as you within their own flocks is just as rewarding, again, in my opinion. Raising up little chicks for your flocks should be a fun experience!

Happy Hatching!

-Krystal