How long can I wait to put shipped hatching eggs into my incubator?

[Ebz5003]

I have a problem. My 24 hatching eggs I ordered have shipped a couple weeks earlier than I thought they would and I am short 4 spaces in my incubator, due to 4 eggs already in it. I will need to wait 13 days for these 4 eggs to hatch befre placing the last 4 of the hatching eggs I ordered inside. How long are hatching eggs viable after they arrive? Should I store them at room temperature? Thanks

 

[NatJ]

I will need to wait 13 days for these 4 eggs to hatch befre placing the last 4 of the hatching eggs I ordered inside. How long are hatching eggs viable after they arrive?

That is probably too long.

I would start by candling all the eggs carefully: any non-viable eggs in the incubator get removed. The worst of the shipped eggs get skipped (look for cracks, weird air cells, extra-dirty eggs, etc.)

You can save the last 4 of the hatching eggs, but I do not think they will be viable if you store them for 13 days.

You can candle the shipped eggs again in 5-7 days. If any are not developing, you could take them out of the incubator, and that might let you put the last few eggs in without waiting all 13 days.

Of course candling only works if you can see into the eggs. If they are very dark brown eggs, you may not be able to see anything useful. You can still look for cracked shells on the shipped eggs, when deciding which ones to set right away and which ones to delay or discard.

Should I store them at room temperature?

Unfortunately I don't have suggestions for the best way to store them in order to have a chance of them still hatching.

Maybe someone else will.

 

[Ebz5003]

That is probably too long.

I would start by candling all the eggs carefully: any non-viable eggs in the incubator get removed. The worst of the shipped eggs get skipped (look for cracks, weird air cells, extra-dirty eggs, etc.)

You can save the last 4 of the hatching eggs, but I do not think they will be viable if you store them for 13 days.

You can candle the shipped eggs again in 5-7 days. If any are not developing, you could take them out of the incubator, and that might let you put the last few eggs in without waiting all 13 days.

Of course candling only works if you can see into the eggs. If they are very dark brown eggs, you may not be able to see anything useful. You can still look for cracked shells on the shipped eggs, when deciding which ones to set right away and which ones to delay or discard.



Unfortunately I don't have suggestions for the best way to store them in order to have a chance of them still hatching.

Maybe someone else will.

Thank you! What does a weird air cell look like?

 

[NatJ]

Thank you! What does a weird air cell look like?

I would candle a few eggs that were not shipped, even just eggs for eating, to get an idea of what a normal air cell is like. The air cell naturally gets bigger over time, but generally stays at the big end of the egg, usually a little off-center to one side or another, and does not really move around if you tip the egg a bit.

I've never personally had eggs shipped, but I've read threads on here that talk about air cells split into two areas, or at the wrong end of the egg, or moving freely inside the egg when you tip the egg, or split up into a lot of little bubbles (that's really bad news!)-- basically, anything other than normal.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with @NatJ, 2 weeks is much too long to wait to begin incubation. You need to make some tough choices.
Keep in mind the eggs were already around a week old by the time you got them. That means they have to be started immediately.

You can delay onset of incubation to a point, but the following handling practices should begin shortly after the eggs are laid.

Wrap the eggs completely in plastic to prevent moisture loss. Lower the storage temperature to between 40 to 60F. They should also be turned at least twice daily during this time.

 

[SnackMeat]

If your incubator is one of those round ones with the turning tray, you can get around this by taking out the turning tray and the bottom tray, and putting a pre-warmed medium in the bottom. I have a mix of milled husks and sand but I'm sure other stuff would work. Vertically incubate them and you can hand tilt them around 30-45* a few times a day.

You would want to take out your hatchlings fairly soon, maybe 6 hours before they start careening in to eggs. Or there are 3d printed dividers that can divide sections of the incubator to keep chicks from running amok.


My 18 count chicken egg holder holds 29 vertically, and I have some fairly big chonker eggs, so if they were smaller chicken eggs, I could easily fit 30-33ish I think?


Alternatively you can kick it old school with a diy incubator setup to see which eggs are even viable and then swap over to the electronic incubator when there is room, and you have less eggs because not every one will be viable.

 

[Ebz5003]

I agree with @NatJ, 2 weeks is much too long to wait to begin incubation. You need to make some tough choices.
Keep in mind the eggs were already around a week old by the time you got them. That means they have to be started immediately.

You can delay onset of incubation to a point, but the following handling practices should begin shortly after the eggs are laid.

Wrap the eggs completely in plastic to prevent moisture loss. Lower the storage temperature to between 40 to 60F. They should also be turned at least twice daily during this time.

Great info. I may start my already-incubating eggs under some broody bantams to make space for the new eggs today. Thanks!

 

[Ebz5003]

If your incubator is one of those round ones with the turning tray, you can get around this by taking out the turning tray and the bottom tray, and putting a pre-warmed medium in the bottom. I have a mix of milled husks and sand but I'm sure other stuff would work. Vertically incubate them and you can hand tilt them around 30-45* a few times a day.

You would want to take out your hatchlings fairly soon, maybe 6 hours before they start careening in to eggs. Or there are 3d printed dividers that can divide sections of the incubator to keep chicks from running amok.


My 18 count chicken egg holder holds 29 vertically, and I have some fairly big chonker eggs, so if they were smaller chicken eggs, I could easily fit 30-33ish I think?


Alternatively you can kick it old school with a diy incubator setup to see which eggs are even viable and then swap over to the electronic incubator when there is room, and you have less eggs because not every one will be viable.

That's a great idea. I may try to fit 2 bantam eggs in one incubator space for now. Thanks!

 

[Ebz5003]

If your incubator is one of those round ones with the turning tray, you can get around this by taking out the turning tray and the bottom tray, and putting a pre-warmed medium in the bottom. I have a mix of milled husks and sand but I'm sure other stuff would work. Vertically incubate them and you can hand tilt them around 30-45* a few times a day.

You would want to take out your hatchlings fairly soon, maybe 6 hours before they start careening in to eggs. Or there are 3d printed dividers that can divide sections of the incubator to keep chicks from running amok.


My 18 count chicken egg holder holds 29 vertically, and I have some fairly big chonker eggs, so if they were smaller chicken eggs, I could easily fit 30-33ish I think?


Alternatively you can kick it old school with a diy incubator setup to see which eggs are even viable and then swap over to the electronic incubator when there is room, and you have less eggs because not every one will be viable.

Great ideas.