Mine came across the country and they were intact on the outside but the insides were like an accident victems and I treat them just like that.in the incubator they do not move at all for 6 or 7 days, just sit in the heat, I hand turn my own eggs in the tray, even lay them down on the tray for a bit, but the shipped eggs stay absolutly still for that first 6 - 7 days befor I turn the turner on...the shipped eggs sit upright throughout the hatch to give air cell every chance. the eggs from my barn can roll around and it never hurts them,
..boy the air cells were all over the place when i got them, Its sure not the breeders fault its what it is in the postal service...and the chance we take...they are very delicate and they sure didnt get here in 2 days by vehicle..they flew and lord knows through what cities..sometimes they go clear to newark NJ then back here..they do get here fast but The one egg was solid bubbles, that was how scattered the air cell was...lot of pressure changes flying and bumpy roads on the way here...I really am shocked that in 5 eggs air cells set back up..the 5 others are better but still sloppy ....they were rolling all over in the egg..Maybe, and Im saying Maybe that is why a lot of shipped eggs will somehow make it all the way to hatch and die..they both drown and are chasing that bit of gulp of air and cannot get sufficient air to get started in zip loose energy and die..it took everything they had just to get through all of that...but we try to give them very advantage..I call it ICU-CCU for shipped eggs.It is written on that thermometer too, ICU-CCU area.
Like I said..all of the eggs out of my barn are laid down come hatch time.. on those small white paper plates and the shipped eggs are let at a slight tilt sitting upright in paper egg carton, they are the drab grey pulp cartons from the store..that way the chicks that are hatching cant make an already bad situation worse with eggs that cells are apt to roll around..I add no water at all because I need to try to get those air cells 1/3 of the space in that egg..some shells are thinner than others and evaporate more quickly..some are thicker and take lot longer..seems the darker the egg the longer it takes..
One time I had an egg out of my own barn one of those very ROUND eggs, honestly, I could not tell the top from the bottom of that egg..and it was a darker brown , didnt have the
brinsea candler (best money I have ever spent!) so couldnt see where the air cell was deveoping..that didnt go so well..I think I incubated that egg upside down the whole time..wonder if that has ever happened to anybody else..that egg was as round as a ball and I probably shouldnt have tried to hatch it..but that was the only casuality that I had that wasnt power outage related..that was several years ago.
