Eggs shipped upside down...what are my chances

[Jmcggnj6]

Ordered a couple dozen paint silkie eggs the first box came crushed in on one side despite being well labeled, with stickers stating: live embryos and with labels stating this side up. No eggs were broken but it is obvious they weren't handled gently. The second box came the next day and when I unpacked them the whole carton was shipped upside down....ugh. I of course am going to run them through the incubator but am sure I am going to be very disappointed come hatch day. I can not catch a break this year my last batch of paints I traveled over 2 hours to get, was shorted 2 eggs, 3 were not fertile, 1 didn't hatch, all that did hatch were black with the exception of 1 paint and 4 of the 8 living had brachydactyly. I reported this to the breeder just to make her aware and she tried to convince me it was because of my incubation method, however from my understanding brachydactyly is genetic. (The shipped eggs are obviously from a different breeder.)

 

[JoannaRae]

There is still one heck of a chance for a good hatch! Let them sit fat end up for AT LEAST 24 hours. Then incubate them fat end up. Don't turn them for the first 5 days of incubation and then at day 6 you can start hand turning them...but still leave them in the upright position. Just angle them from side to side when turning (imagine how the large incubators work). This is best done in a standard cardboard egg carton. This method will allow the air cell to reattach and the embryo to develop properly. I've had eggs shipped hundreds of miles and ended up with great hatches using this method Good Luck!

 

[sumi]

What she said! Even with potentially damaged air cells they still have a chance. Let them rest for 24 hours, set them upright, tilt them instead of turning them (90 degrees each tilt, leaving them resting at a 45 degree angle). By day 18-19 they should be fine to lie down, ready for hatching when they are due. Best of luck and please keep us posted!