Shipped eggs arriving tomorrow-air cell questions

[Mamacast]

OK, a couple of questions but first off though I want to say how AWESOME this site it, it has guided me from the beginnings of thinking I wanted to add to my 4 BobWhites that I have to the point of actually needing to start incubating! I have saved so many articles and threads from this site but still have a couple of questions, so here they are:

I will candle and let my eggs rest fat end up for at least 24 hours. If I have detached or saddled air cells I will put them in the incubator but not turn them for at least 4 days and some encourage 7. I am using an Incuview to incubate so can turn off the egg turner. What happens to those eggs that have normal air cells if they aren't turned?

For those eggs with detached cells it looks like I am supposed to put them in the incubator fat end up and not on their side. There was a poll taken on one of the threads but I cannot find the results of the poll.
How do you get the egg balanced small end down in the bator? Egg carton cups cut up to fit in the turning tray or should I just remove the turning tray for the first few days of incubation?

Should you continue to candle then place the eggs that have corrected themselves flat?

It looks like from the forums that saddled air cells should incubate flat.

Is there any reason to float test eggs before incubating, someone does this on youtube.

What a great community, I am sure my questions will increase as this process unfolds! I wake up thinking of eggs, my husband thinks I am sick.....

 

[benjamin123]

By no means am i an expert but i'll try my best.
The turning of the eggs simply stops the embryo sticking onto one side of the shell, if the normal eggs aren't turned i don't think it shouldn't have too much of an effect if any in the early stages of development. Not sure about the method to keep the egg fat end up, my incubator has trays for the eggs to sit in. The egg cups sounds like it should work. I would but them flat once corrected simply for ease. I cant think of a reason to float the eggs except removing any potential eggs that have gone bad. Hope this helps

 

[oregonkat]

OK, a couple of questions but first off though I want to say how AWESOME this site it, it has guided me from the beginnings of thinking I wanted to add to my 4 BobWhites that I have to the point of actually needing to start incubating! I have saved so many articles and threads from this site but still have a couple of questions, so here they are:

I will candle and let my eggs rest fat end up for at least 24 hours. If I have detached or saddled air cells I will put them in the incubator but not turn them for at least 4 days and some encourage 7. I am using an Incuview to incubate so can turn off the egg turner. What happens to those eggs that have normal air cells if they aren't turned?

For those eggs with detached cells it looks like I am supposed to put them in the incubator fat end up and not on their side. There was a poll taken on one of the threads but I cannot find the results of the poll.
How do you get the egg balanced small end down in the bator? Egg carton cups cut up to fit in the turning tray or should I just remove the turning tray for the first few days of incubation?

Should you continue to candle then place the eggs that have corrected themselves flat?

It looks like from the forums that saddled air cells should incubate flat.

Is there any reason to float test eggs before incubating, someone does this on youtube.

What a great community, I am sure my questions will increase as this process unfolds! I wake up thinking of eggs, my husband thinks I am sick.....

First, there is absolutely NO point in float testing the eggs before incubating because there is nothing going on in the egg. Float testing is done as a very last resort at the very, very end of the incubation process to assess whether there is a LIVE chick inside. If you float your eggs before incubation you risk washing off the very protective film that is on the outside of the eggs. Whoever put that on Youtube needs to get a little education.

In my experience, saddled air cells do better incubated upright, in an upright turner and then at lockdown, they can be put on their sides with the turner taken out. The issue of how long to wait before turning the shipped eggs with slippery air cells is debated here. Some say turn right away at the beginning of incubation, some say wait several days. I usually wait about 48 hours. Just my way of doing this. Eggs with normal air cells should be turned right from the beginning.

The whole 'waking up thinking of eggs' thing is just proof that you belong in here, with the rest of us nutcases. Enjoy and please come here first for advice. Good luck with your hatch!!

 

[Mamacast]

First, there is absolutely NO point in float testing the eggs before incubating because there is nothing going on in the egg. Float testing is done as a very last resort at the very, very end of the incubation process to assess whether there is a LIVE chick inside. If you float your eggs before incubation you risk washing off the very protective film that is on the outside of the eggs. Whoever put that on Youtube needs to get a little education.

In my experience, saddled air cells do better incubated upright, in an upright turner and then at lockdown, they can be put on their sides with the turner taken out. The issue of how long to wait before turning the shipped eggs with slippery air cells is debated here. Some say turn right away at the beginning of incubation, some say wait several days. I usually wait about 48 hours. Just my way of doing this. Eggs with normal air cells should be turned right from the beginning.

The whole 'waking up thinking of eggs' thing is just proof that you belong in here, with the rest of us nutcases. Enjoy and please come here first for advice. Good luck with your hatch!!

Part of my question was if you turn your turner off for the first 3 days is that going to complicate the eggs with air cells attached? I only have one incubator so need to do all the eggs at once, thanks again!

 

[cholland]

You could hand turn the good ones for the first few days. But skipping the first few shouldn't be a problem.

I just hatched some shipped chicken eggs. I let them sit for 24 hrs and then just put them in on auto turn from day one. My turner doesn't allow them to stand up so they went on their sides. The ones I questioned the most were some of the first to hatch. 15 of 17 hatched that went into lockdown.
Point being, from my experience if they don't look too bad, they didn't need much extra care.

 

[Mamacast]

Did you candle to check the air cell status before incubating? Maybe I am reading too much!

 

[oregonkat]

Part of my question was if you turn your turner off for the first 3 days is that going to complicate the eggs with air cells attached? I only have one incubator so need to do all the eggs at once, thanks again!

Is your turner one that rolls the eggs on their sides or do you have one that sits the eggs upright? If it rolls the eggs, I might mark and hand turn the eggs with the cells that are normal leaving the detached ones alone for a couple of days and then just turn everybody together. If it is an upright turner, I would just wait with everyone for a couple of days and then turn. I would not wait longer than 48 hours to turn though, you dont want to risk the possibility of having any of the chicks sticking IMHO.

 

[Mamacast]

Is your turner one that rolls the eggs on their sides or do you have one that sits the eggs upright? If it rolls the eggs, I might mark and hand turn the eggs with the cells that are normal leaving the detached ones alone for a couple of days and then just turn everybody together. If it is an upright turner, I would just wait with everyone for a couple of days and then turn. I would not wait longer than 48 hours to turn though, you dont want to risk the possibility of having any of the chicks sticking IMHO.

It is the type that lays on its side so I might see which ones I need to hand turn if possible.

 

[Mamacast]

First, there is absolutely NO point in float testing the eggs before incubating because there is nothing going on in the egg. Float testing is done as a very last resort at the very, very end of the incubation process to assess whether there is a LIVE chick inside. If you float your eggs before incubation you risk washing off the very protective film that is on the outside of the eggs. Whoever put that on Youtube needs to get a little education.

In my experience, saddled air cells do better incubated upright, in an upright turner and then at lockdown, they can be put on their sides with the turner taken out. The issue of how long to wait before turning the shipped eggs with slippery air cells is debated here. Some say turn right away at the beginning of incubation, some say wait several days. I usually wait about 48 hours. Just my way of doing this. Eggs with normal air cells should be turned right from the beginning.

The whole 'waking up thinking of eggs' thing is just proof that you belong in here, with the rest of us nutcases. Enjoy and please come here first for advice. Good luck with your hatch!!

So I think what I can do is put any with detached cells into the bator in the timy little egg cartons they came in which will hold them upright while the others are laid down in the turner, Pyxis was nice enough to share that idea.
Just in case you are interested, here is the youtube that I was talking about

Thanks again for the help. Eggs arrived this morning and there were only two that had rolled over out of 40 and no cracks. They are in the garage for now and I will try to candle tomorrow before starting the incubation.