INCUBATING POSITIONS AND WHEN TO START TURNING FOR SHIPPED EGGS

[LadiesAndJane]

So, after many hatches with shipped eggs and varying success, I have decided to go against convention and incubate my current batch of shipped eggs on their sides after resting for 6 hours after unpacking and sitting upright in cartons for only 24 hours in the incubator. I also have a "control", one of my own eggs laid the same day the shipped eggs arrived, that I have placed in the incubator to see if this helps determine any incubator issues. I think I have read every thread here on BYC on this topic, literally hours, as well as done research outside of BYC. My last two batches of shipped eggs were epic fails, I did eveything by "the book", understanding that there is no book, and incubating eggs is a very individual situation. Depends on so many factors, though age of eggs and condition of the air cells seems to be the determining factors.
With all this in mind, I thought it would be interesting to poll all you lovely BYC folks out there and get some feedback on how you choose to tackle incubating shipped eggs. I am leaving hatching itself off the poll to simplify the process. Feel free to comment. Thanks!
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[cmom]

There are other threads from the past that also address this. Me personally I haven't had any shipped eggs in years but have shipped eggs. When I have received them I have put them in the incubator asap but don't turn the turner on the first day so they can heat up and rest that first day. Good luck and have fun...

 

[BantyChooks]

I set them upright and generally start turning immediately, though in some cases I exercise personal judgement and wait 24 hours in a bid to preserve badly damaged air cells.

 

[JaeG]

I've tried different techniques and now incubate on their sides turning right from the start. I find that easiest in my incubator and I didn't see any improvement keeping them upright.

I had a dozen eggs my DH had picked up and they were incubated with 8 eggs that were shipped. 11 of the eggs that were collected (3 hour car drive away) hatched but only 3 of the shipped eggs did. I tried again from the same place I'd got the shipped ones, getting 12 this time around (thinking I might get 4/5 chicks) and that time 9 ended up hatching. The second batch must've had a more gentle trip to me.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I've tried different techniques and now incubate on their sides turning right from the start. I find that easiest in my incubator and I didn't see any improvement keeping them upright.

I had a dozen eggs my DH had picked up and they were incubated with 8 eggs that were shipped. 11 of the eggs that were collected (3 hour car drive away) hatched but only 3 of the shipped eggs did. I tried again from the same place I'd got the shipped ones, getting 12 this time around (thinking I might get 4/5 chicks) and that time 9 ended up hatching. The second batch must've had a more gentle trip to me.

Thanks! Yes, I think condition of the air cells is one of the most important factors.
This is my second set from the same breeder, traveled the same distance. Air cells are loose, but not detached. Many were detached in the last set.

Just set mine now on their sides and going to let the auto turner do it's job.
Going to refrain from candling until day 7 and just let them be.

 

[LynnaePB]

I've got generally better results incubating upright and not turning for the first 2-3 days. I've tried quite a few ways now and they all worked to some degree. Sometimes I wonder if the method made that much of a difference or not but I try to stick to the method that gave me the best results coincidence or not.

I think it would be a great test if someone experienced with hatching got a large order of eggs from a single source and split them into different groups with different methods. Having at least a dozen eggs in each group might give a decent answer into if the method used made much of a difference or not.

 

[cmom]

I've tried different techniques and now incubate on their sides turning right from the start. I find that easiest in my incubator and I didn't see any improvement keeping them upright.

I had a dozen eggs my DH had picked up and they were incubated with 8 eggs that were shipped. 11 of the eggs that were collected (3 hour car drive away) hatched but only 3 of the shipped eggs did. I tried again from the same place I'd got the shipped ones, getting 12 this time around (thinking I might get 4/5 chicks) and that time 9 ended up hatching. The second batch must've had a more gentle trip to me.

It also depends on the incubator. I have a cabinet incubator so I put them in racks and the racks into trays and it auto turns the eggs. I incubate in my cabinet but use my styrofoam incubators as hatchers.

 

[Erba]

It definitly depends on how the air cells look, when you get them. If they are just a bit like jello, I'll let them sit less than I would with saddled ones. Detatched are by far the worst, and you should maybe let them sit even longer unless you have a really gentle up right turner. I went out an bought an incubator that does just that. It takes an hour to tilt them from one side to another, and i even got a couple of detatched air cell eggs to hatch. Not all are going to make it though, but that is the price we pay for the breeds we want and can't get locally. If you get half of them to hatch, you have done well,

 

[cmom]

My turner turns every 2 hours. I have had both good and poor hatches with shipped eggs. I pack the eggs I ship in styrofoam. Some of the boxes have been handled roughly because I have been told the boxes have been somewhat mangled or dented but all of the eggs were intact.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

My turner turns every 2 hours. I have had both good and poor hatches with shipped eggs. I pack the eggs I ship in styrofoam. Some of the boxes have been handled roughly because I have been told the boxes have been somewhat mangled or dented but all of the eggs were intact.

These current eggs I set could not have been packed better. I lay no fault on the breeder. Packed in egg foam, double boxed, sent express to minimize travel time. I am sure the air cells looked great when they were sent.