ROSLIN POULTRY RANCH

🐣 Shipped Hatching Eggs Care Guide

What to Do When Your Eggs Arrive

Congratulations on your hatching egg order!

Shipped hatching eggs can experience movement, temperature changes and air cell disruption during transit. Although careful handling and proper incubation can help give your eggs the best possible start, shipping-related damage cannot always be prevented or reversed.

Follow this guide from the moment your eggs arrive through the final days of incubation to help give your developing chicks the best possible conditions for a successful hatch.

📦 1. Unpack Your Eggs Carefully

Open your package as soon as possible after delivery.

Remove the packing materials gently to avoid unnecessary movement.
Inspect each egg for visible cracks, hairline fractures or leaking.
Take photographs of any damaged eggs and contact Roslin Poultry Ranch promptly if you have concerns about your shipment.
Do not wash your eggs. Washing can remove the natural protective coating, known as the bloom, which helps protect the contents from contamination.

Remember: Some minor shell marks are normal. Handle all eggs gently, and do not attempt to hatch eggs that are leaking or severely damaged.

🥚 2. Allow Shipped Eggs to Rest

One of the most important steps after receiving shipped hatching eggs is allowing them to rest before incubation.

During shipping, movement can disturb the air cell inside the egg. The resting period gives the eggs time to settle and gradually reach room temperature.

How to rest your eggs:

Place the eggs in an egg carton or suitable tray with the pointed end facing down and the rounded, air-cell end facing up.
Keep them in a stable, cool room, away from direct sunlight, drafts, heaters and temperature fluctuations.
Allow the eggs to rest for at least 12–24 hours before setting them in the incubator. After a particularly long or rough shipment, some breeders allow up to 48 hours.

Do not refrigerate your hatching eggs.

Important: Resting can help stabilize eggs after transit, but it cannot guarantee that a damaged or detached air cell will return to its normal position.

🔄 3. Keep Eggs Still During the Resting Period

Avoid turning or repeatedly handling the eggs while they rest.

The goal is to allow the eggs to settle undisturbed before incubation. If you suspect that an air cell has been disrupted, additional care may be needed when setting and turning those eggs.

Once the resting period is complete, proceed with incubation according to your incubator's instructions.

🔦 4. Candle Your Eggs Before Setting (Optional)

Candling allows you to inspect the inside of an egg using a bright light in a dark room.

Before incubation, you may be able to identify:

Visible cracks or hairline fractures.
An unusually shaped or moving air cell.
Signs of internal damage.

A normal air cell is located at the rounded end of the egg. If it moves noticeably when the egg is gently tilted, it may have been disturbed during shipping.

Handle eggs carefully during candling and avoid excessive rotation.

Please note: Candling before incubation cannot confirm whether an egg is fertile. Fertility and embryo development are assessed later during incubation.

🌡️ 5. Prepare Your Incubator Before Setting Eggs

Your incubator should be clean and operating steadily before your eggs are added.

Whenever possible, set it up at least 24 hours before you plan to incubate.

Temperature

For a typical forced-air incubator with a fan, a commonly recommended setting for chicken eggs is:

99.5°F (37.5°C)

Follow your incubator manufacturer's instructions, particularly if you use a still-air model, which requires different temperature guidance.

Use a reliable thermometer to verify the temperature rather than relying solely on the incubator's display.

Humidity

For standard chicken egg incubation, a starting relative humidity range of approximately 45–55% during days 1–18 is commonly used, although the appropriate setting varies with the incubator, local conditions and egg moisture loss.

Follow your incubator manufacturer's recommendations and monitor air cell development when possible. The goal is appropriate moisture loss throughout incubation, not simply maintaining one humidity reading at all costs.

Ventilation

Ensure that the incubator has adequate ventilation. Developing embryos require oxygen, and ventilation becomes increasingly important as they grow.

Tip: Allow the incubator to stabilize before setting your eggs. Sudden temperature and humidity fluctuations can negatively affect embryo development.

🥚 6. Set and Turn Your Eggs Correctly

Once your eggs have rested and your incubator is stable, you can begin incubation.

Positioning the eggs

If using a vertical automatic egg turner, position the eggs with the pointed end down and the rounded end up, following the turner's instructions.
If incubating eggs horizontally, lay them on their sides and follow the manufacturer's turning guidance.

Eggs with suspected detached air cells may require special handling. Consider keeping these eggs upright with the rounded end up and delaying automatic turning for approximately 24–48 hours after setting, based on the condition of the eggs and your incubation setup.

Turning during incubation

Eggs should be turned regularly during incubation to support normal embryo development.

If turning manually, turn eggs at least 3–5 times daily, preferably at regular intervals.
If using an automatic turner, check that it operates correctly and that the eggs are positioned properly.
Avoid excessive handling.

Follow your incubator's instructions for turning frequency and angle.

🔦 7. Monitor Development During the First 18 Days

Consistency is important throughout incubation.

Check temperature and humidity daily.
Make sure water reservoirs remain filled as required by your incubator.
Ensure ventilation openings remain clear.
Avoid unnecessary opening of the incubator.
Candle eggs around days 7 and 14 if you wish to monitor embryo development.

During candling, you may see blood vessels and a developing embryo in eggs that are progressing normally.

Some eggs may be infertile or may stop developing. This can occur even when eggs are handled and incubated carefully.

Remove eggs that are leaking or showing signs of spoilage safely and promptly. Avoid unnecessarily discarding eggs based on uncertain candling results.

🐣 8. Days 18–21: Lockdown and Hatching

The final three days of chicken egg incubation are commonly called lockdown.

Around day 18:

Stop turning the eggs.
If using an automatic turner, remove it or switch it off as directed by the manufacturer.
Increase humidity to the recommended hatching level for your incubator. Approximately 65–70% relative humidity is commonly used during lockdown.
Ensure ventilation remains adequate.

During hatching, chicks begin positioning themselves inside the eggs before making their first external pip.

Avoid opening the incubator unnecessarily during lockdown. Opening it can cause humidity to drop, potentially allowing membranes around hatching chicks to dry.

Chicken eggs typically hatch around day 21, but timing can vary with incubation temperature, egg characteristics and other factors.

Allow chicks time to hatch on their own. Hatching can take many hours, and opening the shell prematurely can injure a chick that has not completed the hatching process.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Washing eggs and removing their protective bloom.
Placing shipped eggs directly into the incubator without allowing them to rest.
Handling or turning eggs excessively during the resting period.
Allowing temperature or humidity to fluctuate unnecessarily.
Failing to turn eggs regularly during the main incubation period.
Stopping turning too late.
Opening the incubator repeatedly during lockdown.
Assuming every egg that does not hatch was infertile.

🌱 Understanding Hatch Rates

Shipped hatching eggs can have lower hatch rates than eggs collected and incubated locally. Transport conditions, air cell damage, egg age, fertility, storage and incubation management can all influence the outcome.

Even when eggs are carefully packaged and the recommended incubation practices are followed, a successful hatch cannot be guaranteed.

Some eggs may fail to develop, stop developing during incubation or fail to hatch. These outcomes can occur even with experienced breeders and well-managed incubators.

The best approach is to handle eggs gently, maintain stable incubation conditions and give developing chicks the time and environment they need.

Thank You for Choosing Roslin Poultry Ranch!

Thank you for choosing Roslin Poultry Ranch for your hatching eggs. We hope these instructions help you feel prepared and confident as you begin your incubation journey.

We wish you a wonderful hatch and hope you enjoy every moment from egg to chick!

Roslin Poultry Ranch