"Settling" Shipped Eggs: Necessary? With Auto-Turner?

[chkinut]

they are the cutest type of chicks in the whole world!! i love naked necks too! i will be hatching some next year! can't wait!!!

 

[hfchristy]

Hi. I just got a box of eggs in the mail, and I'm wondering just how much I need to baby them.
They were packed really well - just one hairline crack that is only visible with candling.

Do I need to be concerned about air cells that are just a little wiggly around the edges? Air in one or two of the eggs seems to shift a bit if I tilt the egg - but it doesn't wander beyond the area where the air cell ought to be a week or so from now. Does that make any difference?

Christy

 

[kopeck]

Your own eggs should be turned.

Sorry for not getting back to this sooner.

I'm trying to figure out how to make that work.

I was playing with my Hova-Bator last night trying to disable half of it but didn't really find a way I trusted.

I may just let the shipped eggs set and settle then just set them on the turner like normal.

K

 

[Zootopia]

I had 2 shipments of silkie eggs from different people, both were 24 eggs and arrived the same day. They were in the same size boxes but packaged differently. Box 1 the eggs were in great condition. Box 2 every egg had a detached air cell. I let them both settle for 24 hours.

I put box 1 right in the turner and box 2 wasn't turned for 7 days. I candled at day 7 and box 1 had one clear I tossed, 23 eggs in box 1 made it to lock down. Box 2 had 6 eggs start to develop and when I candled at lock down 5 look like they quit around day 14. 1 egg from box 2 went to lock down and the air cell looked wrong but I could see red veins so think it was alive.

Today is day 21 and the one egg from box 2 hasn't hatched, I got 19 chicks out of 23 eggs from box 1.

I believe the way the eggs are handled and packaged plays a huge part on the success.

Sorry about the problems with Box 2, great tho hear about the fuzzy buts from Box 1. That's the kind of thing people need to hear about tho. Sometimes you get a box with problems and still get a good hatch, sometimes you get a box that looks fine and get next to nothing. Alot of people will blame the shipper for that,saying they were not fertile, etc. The shipping is rough on eggs in more ways than damage, heat, cold, and shaking are major factors. That's why the Auctions have the disclaimer and no guarantee.

Hi. I just got a box of eggs in the mail, and I'm wondering just how much I need to baby them.
They were packed really well - just one hairline crack that is only visible with candling.

Do I need to be concerned about air cells that are just a little wiggly around the edges? Air in one or two of the eggs seems to shift a bit if I tilt the egg - but it doesn't wander beyond the area where the air cell ought to be a week or so from now. Does that make any difference?

Christy

Personally I am setting all shipped eggs in the turner unplugged for at least 5 days now, 7 if I think there is really a problem. I know it's a pain when you have staggered hatches and you have to turn/tilt the other eggs in the bator. I too tried to find a way to disconnect a couple of rows on the turner, as far as I can tell you can't without breaking it. Bummer So I hand turn the other eggs for a couple days, I think it's worth it.
One thing to remember when you do plug the turner, you may need to adjust the temp in the bator, the Turner motor puts of heat and I have found that I need to tweak the temp if I have it on or off.

 

[SierraView]

I set another batch of shipped eggs from the same person as Box 1 was from. All air cells looked good, I let them settle for 12 hours and they went right into the turner since I have staggered hatches going and the others have to be turned. We'll see in 5 days how they're doing.

 

[Featherfarmer]

Thank you for the response, and for the link. I will check that out. I started to candle, but after candling eggs over the last two years, and reading tons of posts and looking at tons more pics, I'm still not sure what I'm looking at/for. The turkey egg I looked at this morning had what I think was a "blank" spot (air cell?) at the very pointy tip. Since I know I suck at candling and don't know what I'm doing, I didn't look at any more.
I got the eggs from Nancy Garry (handle: bargain) and she packed them beautifully. And she prays over each one so I know they are blessed! I know the lady at my little town PO so I know she cared for them - who knows about the people in between Nancy and Sydney (at the PO). They only came from GA, and I'm in SE TN, too. Now it's just up to me to not mess things up ;-)
I've got them in a carton pointy side down in the gust bathroom which is warm because I've got my MPC chicks in there. Rest of the house is kind of cold because we had a couple of 30+ degree nights and we haven't turned the heat back on in the house! I think they'll be fine there. Now I just need to read more and figure out whether to put them under the broody tonight after bedtime (around 9pm, with the eggs settling for 10 hours, or wait until tomorrow night.
Thanks again!

Hi there! Just wanted to give you a heads up on candling eggs. The air cell should be located in the fat round end of the egg...not the pointy end. Have you ever noticed when you hard boil an egg you will find in indentation in the egg whites at the round end. That is from the air cell. Fresh eggs have a small air cell. But eggs in the fridge for a week or 2 will produce a bigger indentation in the egg white! That's because the air cell is getting larger as the egg absorbs more air through the pores of the shell. Same happens as a chick/duck/turkey developes in the shell. The air cell that is damaged during shipping can shift around when you tilt the egg. Also, when you hold the candler to the SIDE of an egg when you hold it (pointy side down) slowly tip the egg sideways and see if it looks like water is in the air cell pocket. The egg whites have been damaged during shipping if it's watery, which will cause the air cell to shift.. Place the eggs in a cut out egg carton for 24 to 48 hrs. Then place egg carton in the incubator. I used a knife to lay under the egg carton to tilt them just a little. And I shifted this from side to side 4 to 6 times a day. After 2 weeks I have some developing and the egg whites are stable. So now they are out of the carton and on their sides getting turned as usual with my flocks eggs. With luck I'll have some baby ducks in 2 more weeks. And eggs with moving air cells should NOT go under a broody hen. Not at first! But if the air cell stablizes after 10 days or 2 weeks then I would say, in my opinion, that it would be fine to set them with a broody...as long as she is setting on eggs that are about to hatch on the same days as yours. Then she can finish hatching them out for you!!!! PS If you candle eggs after one week you will see veins running throughout the egg and a little red embryo about 1/4 inch or smaller wiggling around and bouncing off the inside of the shell. Very cool!!! And you will definetely see a larger air cell growing in the fat end of the shell. At 2 weeks it starts looking like a dark mass with veins visible in the lighter areas at the edge of the air cell. At 18 days the egg will be dark except for the air cell. If you hear peeping on the 19th,20th or 21st day you can candle it but shut the incubator to save the humidity....candle the egg and you will see the chick has her beak up in the air cell trying to pip the shell. I did this with my last duck egg from my home eggs. 2 hatched out of 4. And this little guy was very busy in the egg trying to start his first hole into the shell. So I put him back in the incubator & 2 hours later a little fuzz ball emerged.AWESOME!!!! Hope this helps you even a little! And I pray you have a fantastic hatch!!!!

 

[Pele]

Ok, this thread is facinating, and I couldn't help but to try this method with my turkeys that I set on the 18th. I only made it 5 days until I gave in and plugged in the turner. But I did candle before I turned it on, and all 10 eggs are developing! Horray!

I'll keep this thread updated on the hatch rate. My last shipped eggs had a 50% hatch rate.

 

[janeken]

Wow, what a great place to get some information! Thanks everyone.....I'm tired now from reading all the different articles all day long today, whew

 

[novanod1966]

10 days? 2 weeks?...... i thought hatch rate went down after 7 days. i thought shipped eggs needed to be placed "pointy" end down for 24-48hrs, then into the incubator they go.

i also was under the impression that any egg over 7 days old has a "reduced" chance of hatching due to its age. someone is going to have to explain this procedure to me quick PLEASE!!!! i have 12 silver sebright eggs coming and i want to get as many to hatch as i possibly can.

please,

thanks,

don

 

[Eifelhexe]

Hello,
really nice thread and it gives me hope again to hatch at least some of the Serama eggs i received today after a 10 day journey through the post from england to germany
normally it takes 3 to 5 days but thats my luck

well they, were packed really good and the box they came in was not crushed or damaged in any way.

i candeled them and as i feared, all the airbubbles are floating
also some of them are probably too old by now

so i will try it the 7 day no turning way described here i guess and x fingers that at least one or two will hatch