Hatching eggs are here! Now what?

[vortec]

My hatching eggs arrived today and are still in the box. They appear to be in good shape as all of the shrink wrap did its job during shipment. My question is...now what? Do I need to leave the eggs packaged up in the box for 48 hours to let them settle or take them out? Do I need to candle them and what am I looking for with new eggs? What are the steps that you take when you get a box full of eggs? Thanks for any input!

vortec

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Take them out of the box and place them pointed side down in an egg carton. Let them rest for 24 hours. Hopefully your bator has been heating up and leveling out. Then put them in the bator.

ETA: Yes, you can candle them to check for small cracks or fissures.

 

[baltimoreharps]

What if you have a broody that they're going under, do you still have to wait the 24 hours? I just got Quail_Antwerp's eggs and I'm SOOO excited!!!!

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I would say yes. The reason being, a lot of times with shipping eggs, the air cell becomes disrupted. Letting them settle will give the aircell the chance to pull itself back together if this has happened. This doesn't happen in the coop.

 

[Puddle Foot Farm]

Quote:
Yes. It's to let them settle and make sure their air sacs are correct, and to bring up to room temperature. Be patient. It'll be a loooong 21 days. =]

 

[baltimoreharps]

Well, drat it! (Can you tell this is my first ever hatching experience?

)

I'll wait until tomorrow then, I want these beautiful eggs to have the best chance of hatching. ( I was SO looking foward to it, and I can just magine how I'm going to be the next 21 days...

)

 

[baltimoreharps]

Well, the eggs are settling and the air sacs coming up to where they shoud be! I've been watching the eggs and some of them have started settling and shifting and going sideways in the container.
By the time soccer games are over and done tomorrow am, we're good to go! Our broody is SO ready for these, I boot her out to clean and for her to get her routine of eat.drink/dustbath/ back to the nest, we're done and she's none the wiser!

I'm not worried about the other two hens damaging eggs, the broody is the lead hen and she has made it clear that you use HER nest you do it gently or you're TOAST!

Here's to a good hatch!!!