Help/Advice requested for shipped eggs

[bex1983]

Hi everyone

I have just received a dozen Ancona eggs that arrived in the mail. I am wondering if anyone here has any tips or tricks for getting the best hatch rates possible from shipped eggs.

I plan to let them sit upright, small end down for 24 hours before putting them in the incubator. I believe I will also need to candle to check for air sac detachment?

The eggs look pretty dirty and I know they shouldn’t be washed per say but I don’t want bacteria to enter the egg either, so what should I do with that?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Wezdin]

Does the "dirt" on the egg look like poo or just dirt? either was i would not worry about washing them but maybe using a dry cloth or something.

 

[bex1983]

Does the "dirt" on the egg look like poo or just dirt? either was i would not worry about washing them but maybe using a dry cloth or something.

I can’t tell? It is definitely stuff dried onto the eggs, even after a dry cloth. Do I just not spray them later during incubation so the bacteria doesn’t enter?

 

[DuckyDonna]

Geeze, that's pretty gross! If you do wash them use warm water, not cold. Apparently cold water makes the dirt go into the pores of the egg.

I'm not saying this is what you should do but last year I didn't know anything and washed and refrigerated all my eggs and they hatched just fine

 

[PaulX]

Definitely candle for air cell. If it's intact you can treat it like eggs from your own backyard, no need to sit except for settling into room temperature. Otherwise of course let them sit and there're plenty of advice on this site.

 

[RainbowRabbits]

Pete has a good guide on tips for hatching shipped eggs.

 

[bex1983]

Definitely candle for air cell. If it's intact you can treat it like eggs from your own backyard, no need to sit except for settling into room temperature. Otherwise of course let them sit and there're plenty of advice on this site.

So I candled for air cell and I can see one in 2 of the 13 and those are detached. What does it mean if I can’t find one in the others and what do I do about the detached ones?

 

[Knighstar679]

So I candled for air cell and I can see one in 2 of the 13 and those are detached. What does it mean if I can’t find one in the others and what do I do about the detached ones?

Sometimes they are too small to see right off.

How I have gotten my best hatches is letting them sit for 24 hours in the room I am going to incubate in. Then I usually leave them sitting in a carton fat side up for 2-4 days without rotating to give embryos a chance to grow and attach without moving them around.

For super dirty eggs I took a razor and very carefully cleaned off the worse of it. Not sure if that’s the right thing to do, but it was what I did.

I have only incubated shipped eggs. With my methods I have had good luck before. Things are looking good for my next two batches as well. Both of these had slightly detached air cells in one or two eggs. Batch number two is currently looking at a 7 out of 7 growing at one week in. Batch one I had one clear and one quiter so far out of 7, they are due to hatch soon.

 

[bex1983]

Sometimes they are too small to see right off.

How I have gotten my best hatches is letting them sit for 24 hours in the room I am going to incubate in. Then I usually leave them sitting in a carton fat side up for 2-4 days without rotating to give embryos a chance to grow and attach without moving them around.

For super dirty eggs I took a razor and very carefully cleaned off the worse of it. Not sure if that’s the right thing to do, but it was what I did.

I have only incubated shipped eggs. With my methods I have had good luck before. Things are looking good for my next two batches as well. Both of these had slightly detached air cells in one or two eggs. Batch number two is currently looking at a 7 out of 7 growing at one week in. Batch one I had one clear and one quiter so far out of 7, they are due to hatch soon.

Thanks for the advice! So, if after 4 days I still can't see an air cell or it still appears detached, do I keep them in the carton and still not turn them?

 

[DuckyDonna]

this is the thread from Pete that someone suggested you read earlier. I read it and it's excellent!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...aged-and-mal-positioned-egg-air-cells.501034/