Need opinions on incubating shipped eggs!

[mdees88]

I honestly think a properly "tuned" incubator will have a better hatch rate than a broody hen because it's a controlled environment. That being said your typical Styrofoam incubator normally has inaccurate thermometer and humidity gauges. They typically do not maintain a steady temperature on their own and will require constant monitoring and periodic adjustment.

Seeing as you have never used an incubator I would use a broody hen. I have never let my quail eggs rest more than 3 hours before incubating and I start turning them immediately.

I would definitely go broody hen if I could....

 

[Kb0507]

-What are your preferences when incubating shipped eggs?
Here is what I am doing with mine - let set for 24 hours, then set them in the incubator. Don't turn the first 2 days.

-Which do you think would have a better hatch rate?
I have 2 hens currently broody and I set my shipped eggs in my incubator. I will put the chicks under the hens after hatching if hens are still broody at that time. Shipped eggs hatch better if incubated upright and not turned hte first two days, neither of which is possible under a hen. Plus I don't want to risk these eggs in case she decides to leave the nest.

-Should I separate momma if she sits on them?
I always do. Even with barnyard eggs. I make a separate nest out of a cardboard box, put fake eggs in it, and move it elsewhere in the coop. I put a makeshift pen so she can't go back to her other nest, and has food & water close by. If she stays in it a day or two, then I give her eggs to hatch.

-If so, when should I reintroduce her and the babies back to the flock?
I put broody and fosters together in a very small pen or large cardboard box until her "sit on nest" hormones stop and she is mothering the chicks adequately - leading them to feed & water, warming them up, etc. Then I leave them in a somewhat larger pen in the corner of the coop. When she is ready to introduce them to the flock, she will fly out of the pen. (My broody - like 2 weeks or so. I thought it was too young, but there was no keeping her in). At that point, I open up the pen a little so they all can get in & out easily.

-If we incubate and then sneak them under her after hatch, do I separate all of them from our flock?
See above. DO THIS WITH CAUTION, NOT ALL BROODIES WILL ACCEPT FOSTER CHICKS. SOME WILL KILL THE CHICKS.

-When we get the eggs, before incubation either way, what are the best steps to take to give them the best chance at survival? Candle? Sit for 24 hrs?
Candle very gently, let sit upright for 24 hours.

-Should I candle to check progress?
Days 7, 14, and 18 (lockdown)

-Also, I have 2 broody hens who refuse to sit on separate nests. If I leave everything as is, does it hurt to have them both share the nest and eggs?
I don't like to do this. I have had some terrible boodies, that poop in the nest box. Yucky eggs, don't hatch. 2 hens = double chance of this happening. Also, when I have 2 laying hens try to use the same nest box at the same time, I sometimes get broken eggs. I don't see why this wouldn't happen with broodies. Finally, sometimes 2 broodies will fight over the chicks, this can result in injuries to chicks and/or hens, or dead chicks. 2 broodies = 2 nest boxes and 2 pens (or at VERY least, nest boxes far enough apart and positioned so they can't see chicks that tumble out of the other nest.)

Great information! Thank you so much!

 

[Kb0507]

I honestly think a properly "tuned" incubator will have a better hatch rate than a broody hen because it's a controlled environment. That being said your typical Styrofoam incubator normally has inaccurate thermometer and humidity gauges. They typically do not maintain a steady temperature on their own and will require constant monitoring and periodic adjustment.

Seeing as you have never used an incubator I would use a broody hen. I have never let my quail eggs rest more than 3 hours before incubating and I start turning them immediately.

I would definitely go broody hen if I could....

Thank you for your take on things! I appreciate hearing your opinion. I think I'm leaning towards letting her have them and seeing how it goes, since I've not used an incubator before. She's never set eggs before, but when she's broody she's hard to break

 

[abraga]

Well...ive incubated a lot of shipped eggs..so here' what works for me. I gently unpack them without rolling them as much as possible. I rest them for 24hrs small end down. I set my bator at 99.7 humidity @40% and for the 1st couple days I incubate small end down AND DO NOT TURN! why> because the eggs get jostled around really bad during shipment. Resting them 24 hrs allows air cells to stabilize. I also theorize that a few days off incubation with the eggs placed small end down continues to give the air cell a chance to stabilize as eggs start the process if development. Now..you have no idea how old shipped eggs really are, which is why I start w a humidity of 40%. That gives me enough time to monitor air cell development and adjust humidity

 

[Kb0507]

Well...ive incubated a lot of shipped eggs..so here' what works for me. I gently unpack them without rolling them as much as possible. I rest them for 24hrs small end down. I set my bator at 99.7 humidity @40% and for the 1st couple days I incubate small end down AND DO NOT TURN! why> because the eggs get jostled around really bad during shipment. Resting them 24 hrs allows air cells to stabilize. I also theorize that a few days off incubation with the eggs placed small end down continues to give the air cell a chance to stabilize as eggs start the process if development. Now..you have no idea how old shipped eggs really are, which is why I start w a humidity of 40%. That gives me enough time to monitor air cell development and adjust humidity

OK. It definitely seems like most suggest not moving the eggs for a few days after they arrive and after the initial 24 hrs. Well, I was just talking to my family about this and a thought occurred to me. What if I let them sit for 24 hrs, incubated them for 2 days, and then placed them under my hen? Would that be a crazy idea?

 

[Morrigan]

OK. It definitely seems like most suggest not moving the eggs for a few days after they arrive and after the initial 24 hrs. Well, I was just talking to my family about this and a thought occurred to me. What if I let them sit for 24 hrs, incubated them for 2 days, and then placed them under my hen? Would that be a crazy idea?

I don't see anything wrong with doing that. I would also plan on candling them at 7 or 10 days in to remove any obvious duds from under the hen, so you don't get rotten eggs brewing on the nest.

As far as the broody hens questions, I done it just about every way possible (isolate, leave broody in place, foster chicks. They all worked to some extent but I think the most successful and easiest way is if you can screen off a portion of the coop or put something like a very large dog carrier inside the coop, and then set up you broody in there, so that she is 1) protected from other hens squeezing onto her nest; 2) has enough room to get off the nest and get to food and water and bathroom; and 3) remains in visual contact with the rest of the flock so she is never forgotten by them.

Even when the broody has been separated, I've always removed the barrier after the chicks are 3 days old and the mother wants to leave the nest, so they can mingle with the flock. I've never had any problem with the other hens or rooster bothering the broody or babies. My rooster has been interested and protective, and the other hens seemingly indifferent (except that the presence of newly hatched chicks seems to bring on a spate of broodiness amongst the other hens, lol).

Good luck with this!

 

[Kb0507]

I don't see anything wrong with doing that. I would also plan on candling them at 7 or 10 days in to remove any obvious duds from under the hen, so you don't get rotten eggs brewing on the nest.

As far as the broody hens questions, I done it just about every way possible (isolate, leave broody in place, foster chicks. They all worked to some extent but I think the most successful and easiest way is if you can screen off a portion of the coop or put something like a very large dog carrier inside the coop, and then set up you broody in there, so that she is 1) protected from other hens squeezing onto her nest; 2) has enough room to get off the nest and get to food and water and bathroom; and 3) remains in visual contact with the rest of the flock so she is never forgotten by them.

Even when the broody has been separated, I've always removed the barrier after the chicks are 3 days old and the mother wants to leave the nest, so they can mingle with the flock. I've never had any problem with the other hens or rooster bothering the broody or babies. My rooster has been interested and protective, and the other hens seemingly indifferent (except that the presence of newly hatched chicks seems to bring on a spate of broodiness amongst the other hens, lol).

Good luck with this!

Thank you so much! I've been letting them sit on some of our eggs for right now and we discovered that 2 are growing!! My girls are excited! So, I think we are going to separate them in the coop, from each other and everyone else, and then let one sit on our 2 fertilized eggs and the other sit on the shipped. Hopefully we have a good outcome. Thanks again!

 

[Kb0507]

For anyone following, we received our shipped eggs today. I think they shipped well. All of the air cells are intact, no bubbles, or rolling. One has a slightly saddled air cell, but just a little. 3 others, the air cell seems to ever so slightly move on one side. And I mean just barely. I'm not sure if that's an issue or not. One of those seems to have a thin shell spot right above the air cell. All in all though, they seem good. Our plan now is to set the eggs with good air cells under our broody and incubate the rest. I will keep this post updated for anyone interested. Also, the 2 fertilized eggs from our flock are growing well under our 2nd broody....