Incubating Shipped Eggs

[Saris]

You could try and fit in a few local eggs to see if they hatch, if they do then it's probably not your incubator. Do you have an auto turner?

 

[Hawk12]

Some died perfectly formed without any pip. Another died after an internal pip. I intervened on day 23 and thought I saved one but he couldn't walk very well, was very lopsided. He lived for about 14 hours but also died. My eggs came from different people and this time I have 3 different types of eggs coming from 3 different people. Yes, I have a auto turner. My temp last time was at 100 degrees, I'm going to increase it to 102 this time.

 

[RubyNala97]

I've hatched quite a few batches of shipped eggs this year and done a ton of research. I've gotten anywhere from 0% hatch to a 90% hatch rate on my shipped eggs. So I'd like to offer whatever advice I can throughout your hatch! Also, I'd like to add that I would not make a set recommendation about how many days to go without turning in the beginning of incubation until you see what kind of damage has been done to the eggs. How far will the eggs be traveling and did you buy from a reputable breeder with good references? If the eggs come with minimal damage and just loose air cells (tremulous air cells) then I would say to give them 48 hours without turning, once you set them in the incubator. If they come and are very damaged then gently candle after 48 hours and if some are still loose give them an additional 24 hours, if not begin gently turning. It will all boil down to how much cellular damage has been done to the egg through shipping. What day will they be arriving? I let mine sit for 12 hours before incubating.

Thank you, I will stick with turning once a day from day 14 to 18

I would recommend that you stop turning on day 16. It can take chicks from shipped eggs a little longer to get into the correct position for hatch, so the extra 2 days can be a benefit.

I need more advice. I started up my incubator this morning to monitor it before the eggs get here. I have the thermometer in the corner and it has been holding steady at 100 degrees. Do I turn up the temp or leave it due to the fact that the thermometer is a little farther away from the center? Also, I haven't added any water yet and the humidity is at 37%. Do I add a little water or leave it dry?

I would add water now and stabilize your humidity. I also believe (from my own trial and errors) that with damaged air cells, it's better to have a little higher humidity the first week. The idea is that you don't want to "stress" the air cell to much by running dry, while its still trying to heal and stabilize. If you don't feel there has been enough growth over the first 10-12 days then you can run dry then. By day 12 the CAM (which is like a ballon that inflates inside the egg and takes over) will be fully functioning and will make your loose air cells solid. This is when it's a good time to make up for air cell growth IF you need to. And have you properly calibrated your thermometers and hygrometers. I love this video for proper calibration of thermometers.
http://www.thermoworks.com/blog/2010/10/making-a-proper-ice-bath/

 

[Hawk12]

RubyNala97 - So glad you joined I added a little water last night but this morning my humidity was only reading 29%. How high should I raise it? Also, my thermometers are digital...can they be properly calibratd? I haven't called any references on any of the breeders I have ordered from I guess I'm just trusting that they are reputable. I ordered them off eBay and they all have excellent reviews but that is about all I know about them. I am in N. Idaho and all of the eggs are coming from the E. Coast that's a long way for them to travel.

 

[RubyNala97]

RubyNala97 - So glad you joined I added a little water last night but this morning my humidity was only reading 29%. How high should I raise it? Also, my thermometers are digital...can they be properly calibratd? I haven't called any references on any of the breeders I have ordered from I guess I'm just trusting that they are reputable. I ordered them off eBay and they all have excellent reviews but that is about all I know about them. I am in N. Idaho and all of the eggs are coming from the E. Coast that's a long way for them to travel.

Honestly, I'm not sure with a digital thermometer. I would google, "how to calibrate a digital thermometer" and see what you find out. Play around with the water and try to get it around 40%. Once you find out how much water will give you the % you want then you can just keep it stable. I've hatched eggs from Florida to NY, so it's do-able! What counts is how they are packed and how fresh they are. Fresher eggs will get less damage because the air cell is smaller. that they arrive safely!

 

[Hawk12]

I'm getting excited but nervous too. Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[Hawk12]

They're here! They're here! Just got them in egg cartons and letting them sit overnight before I check air cells and put them in the incubator. Little problem though...the sellers all sent extra and I have 48 eggs and only 42 spots in the incubator. Now what??

 

[Saris]

Let them all sit and pick the best 42, the others might last a bit in the fridge in case you have early deaths or you can try and find another person with an empty 'bator.

 

[Hawk12]

I set the eggs at 11:30 this morning. 41 is what fit in the incubator. It's really hard to leave the extras. I will check the temp and humidity to see if it has changed at all. Now the countdown begins...

 

[GreenRunner]

Good luck with your hatch!

I'm a newbie too, and have done four hatches with shipped eggs; varying degrees of success. I've found that most air sacs will reattach though the air cells tend to be rather deformed instead of a nice oval shape. I, too, read about not turning for the first four days and tried it - disastrous; I had lots of unprogressed embryos which I attribute to not turning early on.

I've just put down 12 eggs and I've got another six being shipped so I'm there alongside you with this hatch