Trying to hatch shipped eggs - Take 1

[oregonkat]

Oh, and for cleaning the styro. incubator, I use a very diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle and allow the bator to air dry. Avoid spraying the instruments!

 

[Lenka]

If there was a broken egg in the shipment, I would candle some of the good ones and see if you have detached air cells. The broken egg indicates that there might have been some rough treatment in shipping. If you do have detached or rolling air cells, they will look slightly misshapen or 'slippery' when you gently move the egg. Let them sit for 48 hours to try to settle everything down. Good luck with your hatch!

ok, i will candle them tonight once its gets dark and if they look detached, will keep them out for another 24 hours.

it was odd that it was just the one, all the other eggs were perfectly fine, no crack or anything, the shells feel strong...

 

[oregonkat]

ok, i will candle them tonight once its gets dark and if they look detached, will keep them out for another 24 hours.

it was odd that it was just the one, all the other eggs were perfectly fine, no crack or anything, the shells feel strong...

So if when you candle them, the air cells look good, go ahead and begin the incubation. Remember that the day count for your incubation schedule starts 24 hours AFTER you have put the eggs in. That way, if you get into trouble or you have questions later on, you will have an accurate count of your days.

 

[Lenka]

So if when you candle them, the air cells look good, go ahead and begin the incubation. Remember that the day count for your incubation schedule starts 24 hours AFTER you have put the eggs in. That way, if you get into trouble or you have questions later on, you will have an accurate count of your days.

oh thats good to know.. if I put them in tomorrow am, then day 1 would be sunday?

I'm looking up now what to look for in the candled egg (like images of what they actually look like). I'm getting a better light to candle eggs with today so I won't be left in the dark (lol)

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yes, or just think of it this way: if your set them on Saturday, their day 21 is also a Saturday, or just add 21 to the date you set them (July 14+21-31= August 4). So if you are going to do "lockdown" you'd do that sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday night, whatever's convenient.

 

[Lenka]

i just candled the eggs... is it normal that the air cell is not as clear as i thought it would be?... at first i thought all the eggs were duds, but idk if its just my inexperienced eye. Its been exactly 12 hours since I got them

 

[oregonkat]

If the eggs are super fresh (I assume we are talking about chicken eggs here) the air cell will be quite small, about the size of a dime at the top of the fat end of the egg. The best way to see this is to candle directly into that end of the egg and usually you will see a faint outline of the air cell. As the eggs age, the air cell size increases.
Hopefully, your shipped eggs were only just laid before shipping. This really helps the viability of the egg and increases your chances of a successful hatch. The eggs start to lose viability significantly after about 7 - 10 days after hatch.

 

[Lenka]

ok, im going to wait untill tomorrow morning (48 hours) and then put them in the incubator. should I keep them upright or would it be ok to lay them down ?

 

[Lenka]

eggs are in the incubator.. I bout a turner so that they are more upright.... and will start turning them tuesday night (3 days no turning) I am soo nervous that they are not viable... i've set up timers on my phone for candling.. hopefully that will stop me from messing with them.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I just hatched some shipped eggs in a new incubator i never used before. It is the first one I've had where eggs are on their side. I got 2 little chicks out of 12 eggs, but I've had the same results with shipped eggs in my other incubators so I'm not sure it makes a difference. I'd like to do an experiment but I really don't need any more chicks lol