Resting shipped eggs before incubation?

[starrri]

Would it be okay to put eggs in the bator right after receiving them, and of course putting the ones w detached air cells in a upright position, and with no turner? I don't see the point in letting them "rest" if they are all ready at room temp when I get them. Can someone explain why they have to rest in a carton besides the fact that they need to stablize? Can't they re stablize in the incubator without turning?
Thanks, and I know there are many methods when it comes to incubation and honestly I don't even know what to do anymore! but some advice from someone who has a lot of experience in hatching would help a ton!
(This is my first time hatching shipped eggs)

 

[LynnaePB]

I personally like to let them rest at least 24 hours. It might have just been chance but I have tended to get better results doing so rather than letting them not rest at all or putting them in after only a few hours. The one exception I make is if they come during hot weather then I'll put them in straight away in case they started developing en route. My theory is after such a turbulent journey sometimes just letting them have some time of relative inactivity before they start developing (which just has so much going on at the cellular level) may help them recover a bit. I don't notice the waiting helps with the air cells, that has more to do with what you do after incubation starts in my experience.

Shipped eggs can just be so tricky no matter what method you use. I've played around with quite a few and found my favorite to be letting them rest 24 hours large end up before incubation. Once incubation starts I have them incubating upright with no turning for the first 2-3 days. I'm still settling on what I like best after that. While one method might tend to give a bit of a boost that is not to say that another won't work fairly well too.

I've also had to be a lot more hands on during the hatching process with a lot of my shipped eggs too to get decent hatches. Part of this might be because of the breed I hatch though (silkies, often with vaulted skulls which can make it difficult for them to position correctly even without shipping).

Good luck with your first shipped eggs, I hope they do really well for you!

 

[sdm111]

Straight to the incubator. Amongst other things I believe being in a hot cargo area could start development then sitting on you cold counter for a day could kill any growing embryos. I ask people that I ship to to go Straight to a hen or incubator and we have had pretty good hatch rates. Do as you wish but I think alot of what's said and read is people just telling what they read and not actually done it

 

[Silexian]

I hatch a lot of shipped eggs. I used to let them rest. I now believe that any time not being incubated is just time lost. I do candle them, to check the condition of the air cells. Otherwise they go straight into the incubator. I think knowing the shipper is sending the freshest eggs and having the shortest transit time possible. Is more important than letting them settle.

 

[starrri]

I personally like to let them rest at least 24 hours. It might have just been chance but I have tended to get better results doing so rather than letting them not rest at all or putting them in after only a few hours. The one exception I make is if they come during hot weather then I'll put them in straight away in case they started developing en route. My theory is after such a turbulent journey sometimes just letting them have some time of relative inactivity before they start developing (which just has so much going on at the cellular level) may help them recover a bit. I don't notice the waiting helps with the air cells, that has more to do with what you do after incubation starts in my experience.

Shipped eggs can just be so tricky no matter what method you use. I've played around with quite a few and found my favorite to be letting them rest 24 hours large end up before incubation. Once incubation starts I have them incubating upright with no turning for the first 2-3 days. I'm still settling on what I like best after that. While one method might tend to give a bit of a boost that is not to say that another won't work fairly well too.

I've also had to be a lot more hands on during the hatching process with a lot of my shipped eggs too to get decent hatches. Part of this might be because of the breed I hatch though (silkies, often with vaulted skulls which can make it difficult for them to position correctly even without shipping).

Good luck with your first shipped eggs, I hope they do really well for you!

Thank you so much for the info!
I actually ordered silkie eggs, and they are coming from Florida to Texas
That's interesting, is there a particular way to hatch silkie eggs ? This will be my first time hatching this breed too, and I would love to have at least 3 or 4 hatch ! They have been my dream chickens for soo long I would appreciate any tips

 

[starrri]

Straight to the incubator. Amongst other things I believe being in a hot cargo area could start development then sitting on you cold counter for a day could kill any growing embryos. I ask people that I ship to to go Straight to a hen or incubator and we have had pretty good hatch rates. Do as you wish but I think alot of what's said and read is people just telling what they read and not actually done it

Thank you for the response!
The eggs are coming from Florida to Texas, so that is why i've decided to put them straight in the incubator. They may also be around 4-5 days old when I get them.
Also, do you suggest I place all of them in a upright position pointy side down for the first three days ? (Until I start turning them) or only for the ones with detached air cells ?
Thanks again !

 

[LynnaePB]

Thank you so much for the info!
I actually ordered silkie eggs, and they are coming from Florida to Texas
That's interesting, is there a particular way to hatch silkie eggs ? This will be my first time hatching this breed too, and I would love to have at least 3 or 4 hatch ! They have been my dream chickens for soo long I would appreciate any tips

Of course you are very welcome!

You can hatch silkie eggs like normal eggs but if they come from a line where larger vaults are common being more involved with the hatching process will make it more likely for the larger vaulted babies to make it. Those larger vaulted babies have more trouble getting into the right position to hatch so without help they may be unable to even pip.

I really like this guide on assisted hatching. I add the safety holes when I notice internal pips with my shipped eggs just in case which will avoid the babies suffocating if they aren't positioned quite right to externally pip. If they are positioned correctly they'll still hatch like normal (other than the timeline from external pip to zipping being a little different since the safety hole acts as an artificial external pip).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

The only thing I would be careful with that is in this article is using coconut oil on the membrane to keep it moist when a more involved assist is needed. I've found when I tried it that it really hardened the membrane after a while. One of the other options to moisten the membrane may be better. I myself just use a few drops of clean warm water. It dries quickly so you have to reapply it when ever you need to reassess how the blood vessels are absorbing and eventually it can dry out the membrane but for me it never makes that membrane as hard/stiff as when I tried the coconut oil. Even if the membrane dries out as long as it has enough flexibility for the chick to breath easily they tend to be fine. It may stick to the chick a bit when they are ready to hatch but it usually comes off fairly easily with a little warm water after hatching as long as humidity during the first 18 days of incubation wasn't too high causing more of the egg white to remain in the egg at hatching time and making things more "sticky".

Being willing to assist and adding those safety holes definitely helped me to save some chicks that otherwise wouldn't have made it. Malpositions are fairly common with shipped silkie eggs in my experience and I usually get at least one or two chicks that end up needing some help.

Being more hands on is definitely not for everyone and there is a learning curve so if it's something that seems intimidating letting them hatch without interference is still a viable option.

I just love my silkies and I hope you get a great hatch and will love yours just as much!

 

[starrri]

I hatch a lot of shipped eggs. I used to let them rest. I now believe that any time not being incubated is just time lost. I do candle them, to check the condition of the air cells. Otherwise they go straight into the incubator. I think knowing the shipper is sending the freshest eggs and having the shortest transit time possible. Is more important than letting them settle.

I agree! Especially in hotter weather.
how long do you think eggs with detached air cells should rest?
Also, the eggs will be 4-5 days old when I recieve them

Of course you are very welcome!

You can hatch silkie eggs like normal eggs but if they come from a line where larger vaults are common being more involved with the hatching process will make it more likely for the larger vaulted babies to make it. Those larger vaulted babies have more trouble getting into the right position to hatch so without help they may be unable to even pip.

I really like this guide on assisted hatching. I add the safety holes when I notice internal pips with my shipped eggs just in case which will avoid the babies suffocating if they aren't positioned quite right to externally pip. If they are positioned correctly they'll still hatch like normal (other than the timeline from external pip to zipping being a little different since the safety hole acts as an artificial external pip).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-assisted-hatching-for-all-poultry.72886/

The only thing I would be careful with that is in this article is using coconut oil on the membrane to keep it moist when a more involved assist is needed. I've found when I tried it that it really hardened the membrane after a while. One of the other options to moisten the membrane may be better. I myself just use a few drops of clean warm water. It dries quickly so you have to reapply it when ever you need to reassess how the blood vessels are absorbing and eventually it can dry out the membrane but for me it never makes that membrane as hard/stiff as when I tried the coconut oil. Even if the membrane dries out as long as it has enough flexibility for the chick to breath easily they tend to be fine. It may stick to the chick a bit when they are ready to hatch but it usually comes off fairly easily with a little warm water after hatching as long as humidity during the first 18 days of incubation wasn't too high causing more of the egg white to remain in the egg at hatching time and making things more "sticky".

Being willing to assist and adding those safety holes definitely helped me to save some chicks that otherwise wouldn't have made it. Malpositions are fairly common with shipped silkie eggs in my experience and I usually get at least one or two chicks that end up needing some help.

Being more hands on is definitely not for everyone and there is a learning curve so if it's something that seems intimidating letting them hatch without interference is still a viable option.

I just love my silkies and I hope you get a great hatch and will love yours just as much!

that is a lot to take in but very helpful advice, thank you!
It sounds intimidating but exciting at the same time, even though i'm more of a simple natured person, lol. I just recieved the eggs a few hours ago, too. They were kinda cold, but packaged really well and 0 broken. I am letting them rest for a few hours so they can get to room temperature.
Silkies are -hands down -the best ! (Just my opinion)

 

[Silexian]

I agree! Especially in hotter weather.
how long do you think eggs with detached air cells should rest?
Also, the eggs will be 4-5 days old when I recieve them

that is a lot to take in but very helpful advice, thank you!
It sounds intimidating but exciting at the same time, even though i'm more of a simple natured person, lol. I just recieved the eggs a few hours ago, too. They were kinda cold, but packaged really well and 0 broken. I am letting them rest for a few hours so they can get to room temperature.
Silkies are -hands down -the best ! (Just my opinion)

I agree! Especially in hotter weather.
how long do you think eggs with detached air cells should rest?
Also, the eggs will be 4-5 days old when I recieve them

that is a lot to take in but very helpful advice, thank you!
It sounds intimidating but exciting at the same time, even though i'm more of a simple natured person, lol. I just recieved the eggs a few hours ago, too. They were kinda cold, but packaged really well and 0 broken. I am letting them rest for a few hours so they can get to room temperature.
Silkies are -hands down -the best ! (Just my opinion)

I don’t let bad air cells rest either. I have an incubator that the turner holds the eggs vertical. That they go into. Some don’t begin to develop and others hatch. Trying to hatch them is a bigger gamble. Sometimes it pays off.

 

[starrri]

I don’t let bad air cells rest either. I have an incubator that the turner holds the eggs vertical. That they go into. Some don’t begin to develop and others hatch. Trying to hatch them is a bigger gamble. Sometimes it pays off.

I placed them all in the incubator, candled them before and they all seem in good shape.
I put 10 in and I'm not expecting no more or less to hatch, it's up to the eggs
Even tho i really hope a few do decide to hatch