Shipped Eggs - Any advise

[jdgrell]

Hi,

My kids and I are refreshing our flock, our first flock has gone 3 years and are not producing eggs well. Don't worry my old girls will live a long and lazy life on our acreage

. We have been reading the forums and have a basic plan of incubation. Please read below and provide us with any tips and feedback you might offer:


We got 21 welsummer eggs shipped today. Sadly 4 of the eggs were broken, and the entire shipment was covered with egg goo. We rinsed them off and gently dried them (no scrubbing). Set them in clean egg cartons pointy side down to rest for 24 hours.

We are planning on putting them in the incubator and letting them run for 3 days without the turner on. Then running the turner constantly until day 18 at which point We will take them out of the turner.

Humidity is tracking at 40% in the incubator with on small well of water filled. That is as low as we can get it with any water in the incubator. If we run it dry the humidity is 18%. I was planning on running it at 40% until day 18 then stepping it up to 80%.

We have never candled eggs, and these are pretty dark. Wondering if it is worth the trouble, or if I should just let them go for the 21 days?

Thanks!
Wish us luck.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I incubate really dark eggs and don't find it possible to candle. (I can't afford a $700 candler)
If they are clean I'd try them and check for nasty smells occasionally.
The egg goo on them will close off the pores and keep air from getting in.
There's mixed opinions on cleaning eggs but I'd definitely do what you did and get the goo off.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I found this link for sanitizing eggs for hatching
http://www.natureform.com/kb/newArticles/3.html
hope it helps