Did my dumb move ruin an egg?

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hi All, we are incubating a mix of 12 shipped eggs and 7 eggs from our own hen. I was so eager to get and incubate the last egg laid by our hen, 12 hours after the rest started incubating, that I didn’t let it cool first: it was laid in the nest box then put into incubator about 30 min later. Today is Day 3 and I did a quick candle of it - loose bubbles where the air cell should be! I think it didn’t form the air cell normally due to my rush. I took it out and left it at room temp for 2.5 hours in hopes that the air cell would form, then put upright (large side up) in incubator in a cardboard cell. I thought I’d try leaving it in place in the incubator without turning for one week and see what happens. Anyone else ever have this happen? How did it turn out?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I thought I’d try leaving it in place in the incubator without turning for one week and see what happens.

Just leave it alone and quit messing!

None of my broody hens let eggs cool off before they start sitting on them.

Turning is crucial! Not turning for a whole week... expect some issues like dead embryo.

An air cell isn't going to form faster at lower temps.

 

[007Sean]

I agree with @EggSighted4Life , leave it alone. Turning is very critical in the 1st 14 days of incubation. Keeps the developing embryo from sticking to the membrane, resulting a malpositioned chick or worse, a (DIS) chick.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Well, this whole situation was a little ironic, as this set also includes my first shipped eggs. They are BCM so I can’t see the aircell very well, but from what I can tell, the shipped eggs look fine, and it’s one of my own eggs that has the messed up air cell! I knew that the air cell forms during the eggs cooling after laying, but I also assumed that if the hens lay then immediately sit on them, then that would work for this last egg. However, it’s the only egg from this hen that has these small loose bubbles, which is how people describe shipped eggs with ruptured air cells. From a previous thread here, people with experience with shipped eggs recommend letting the eggs sit unturned for 24 hr at room temp then for days to a week in the incubator, so shipped eggs sat at room temp for a day unturned, then unturned in incubator for 2.5 days while my eggs were hand turned. After that, automatic turner was turned on. This one egg might be hopelessly messed up, but I took it out of the turner and let it set at room temp for 2.5 hr and then placed in an unturned area of incubator for a few days more, as if it was a shipped egg. I’ll update this thread and let anyone interested know if it develops and hatches!

 

[007Sean]

There's another case of bad information being given.
With shipped eggs, 9 out of 10 times the eggs will already be starting to develop. There are certain embryonic cells that will start developing at 68°F - 72°F. If you let those eggs sit at room temp or at below 68°F, for 24 hours or a few days, you have effectively killed those embryos. At the very least they will have deformed embryos due to the cells stopping and starting again, if the temps were such as not to kill the embryos.
I'm in South Texas and our spring time temps can be 95° to 100°F, I set shipped eggs immediately upon arrival, I don't turn them for 24 hrs. If I let them sit at room temp to 'rest', they would effectively be killed. I've had eggs arrive and the inside temp of the box was at 97°F upon opening.
I personally have no problems with this method but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone to follow, everyone's situation is different.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

There's another case of bad information being given.
With shipped eggs, 9 out of 10 times the eggs will already be starting to develop. There are certain embryonic cells that will start developing at 68°F - 72°F. If you let those eggs sit at room temp or at below 68°F, for 24 hours or a few days, you have effectively killed those embryos. At the very least they will have deformed embryos due to the cells stopping and starting again, if the temps were such as not to kill the embryos.
I'm in South Texas and our spring time temps can be 95° to 100°F, I set shipped eggs immediately upon arrival, I don't turn them for 24 hrs. If I let them sit at room temp to 'rest', they would effectively be killed. I've had eggs arrive and the inside temp of the box was at 97°F upon opening.
I personally have no problems with this method but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone to follow, everyone's situation is different.

These eggs arrived at close to room temperature. It looks like earlier studies found development at closer to 68 F, but a more recent study found development starting at 75-80 F.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.re...nt_in_the_domestic_fowl_Gallus_domesticus/amp
These were stored at 72 F for a day, which appears to be a common practice for shipped eggs. I can’t speak from my own experience as I haven’t used shipped eggs before. At any rate they are in an incubator and turning now, so I’ll just hope for the best.