Setting Shipped Eggs for the Incubator

Hatching eggs is an addiction to many and breeders will ship their hatching eggs to their recipients as a result of this addiction and to promote sales. Although diseases can still transfer through the egg shell, it is much safer and simpler than purchasing live birds, putting them through quarantine, and introducing them to your own flock. Setting shipped eggs should be treated like normal hatching eggs from your back yard with a few tips from the experts. We received a bunch of eggs in the mail today and thought we would share how we do things around the farm.

We received beautiful Turkey eggs from Kennedy Hill Farm today!

First we had to unwrap the eggs, which were in wonderful packing. 

These eggs were packed just as how we would have wanted them to. We pack eggs very similar to this. After we unwrap the eggs we let the eggs settle for 12 hours at minimal. The eggs traveled a long journey and should be at room temperature before going into the incubator. 

When eggs get set immediately from hot to hot environments, this is acceptable as the embryos are already developing most likely. Make sure to let the eggs settle in the incubator but do not turn the eggs for 2 days at least. This is what we are doing right now and will show you how in a second.

When setting eggs from a cold to hot temperature or a hot to cold temperature, you will need to let the eggs settle outside the incubator for the 12 hours. The eggs need to acclimate to the room temperature before being set.

We use egg cartons for setting as we have a large cabinet hatcher that has been made into our incubator/hatcher. We hand tilt all our eggs. In order to do this we use egg cartons and poke holes out of them.

There is adequate air circulation coming to and from the eggs this way and we have excellent hatching rates.

After 12 hours we set the eggs!

Stay tuned to see blogs from hatch days and more information!!!