5 Hatching Egg Tips for SHIPPED Eggs

Hatching Egg tips for SHIPPED eggs specifically:

I hope this helps with your hatch rate, and please share with me as I always love to see our chicks in their new homes!

  1. TEMPERATURE - Before loading into the incubator, allow the eggs to come to room temperature if colder outside than inside. This helps prevent any temperature shock. If warmer outside/during transit than inside, please place eggs into a ready incubator as soon as possible to continue any incubation that may have already begun. I recommend "resting" eggs without the turner for 2-4hrs but would prefer immediate turning to resting for long periods of time.
  2. INCUBATOR PREP - Make sure your incubator is running for a bit before placing the eggs inside. I don't trust the humidity and temperature readings attached to incubators, so please monitor with a separate hygrometer - we like the ThermoPro or Govees. Temperature should be 99.5-100 degree Fahrenheit. Humidity level of 35-50% has been good for us, and  consistency is key. At lockdown 50-60% is typically fine BUT heavy bloom and darker eggs do best with a lower humidity so keep that in mind. Too much humidity is a common mistake.
  3. CAREFUL HANDLING - Always keep eggs pointy end down. The air sacs are in the larger end of the egg and need to be mostly upright for proper development. Some incubators do not hold eggs upright, and I caution against side lying egg incubation, especially for shipped eggs. Candle eggs with pointy end down to look for cracks - candle wax melted over cracks has been known to save eggs that may be slightly damaged. Monitor carefully if so.
  4. EGG TURNING - Eggs should also be tilted daily to prevent the yolk from sticking inside the eggshell. Incubators with automatic egg turners are preferred.
    EXTRA TIP: Shipped eggs may have somewhat mangled air sacs. Using upright turners helps with this issue. Always keep the fat end of the egg with the label up.
  5. MONITOR DEVELOPMENT - Candling eggs on unshipped eggs is advised to check for signs of development; however, shipped eggs can do better if left alone. Always look for signs of cracks, seepage, etc and candle before lockdown on day 18 and remove those.

Hatching shipped eggs can be difficult - even for the best breeders. Some will hatch on day 20 up to day 23 so don't give up too early. I hope it goes well and you get to welcome lots of chicks!

If you've done everything correctly, a 50% hatch rate is considered a good hatch rate for shipped eggs. After chicks have entered the world, make sure they have a side of the brooder with heat & without and put their food/water on the side without heat. Enjoy!