I got the eggs... now what?

[L.L Farm]

So I got my first eggs sent to me, and they just arrived. 30 Orpington eggs. Thing is, this is the first time I ever had eggs shipped to me. The incubator has been running steady for a little more than a day now... but what do I have to do with the eggs? Some people told me to let the shipped eggs sit for a day, some told me to put them in once the incubator is steady. Whats best?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is normally best to let them rest a day or at least overnight before you put them in the incubator. They often get shaken up or spend a lot of time in a position where the pointy end is not down. So keep them with the pointy end down, gently turn them a few times, and give them a chance to stabilize. Mainly you are letting the air sac sort itself out.

The first few days in the incubator are very important. If you don't have the right temperatures, humidity, or turning, you can wind up with deformed chicks or much lower hatch rates. Shipped eggs are usually harder anyway due to the rough handling and spending time not pointy end down. Letting them stabilize a day helps some.