How to Receive Shipped Hatching Eggs

Give Your Hatch the Best Possible Start

Your hatching eggs have already completed the most stressful part of their journey. How you handle them during the first 24 hours after arrival can help prepare them for incubation.

While no shipping method can guarantee hatch rates, following a few simple steps gives your eggs the best opportunity for a successful hatch.

Step 1: Open the Package Carefully

Inspect the shipping box for obvious signs of damage before opening it. Remove each egg carefully and examine it for cracks or other visible damage.

Small cosmetic marks may not affect hatchability, but severely cracked eggs should generally not be incubated.

Step 2: Inspect the Eggs

As you unpack your shipment, look for:

  • Cracked shells

  • Leaking eggs

  • Loose shell fragments

  • Detached or unusually large air cells (if candling)

  • Heavy dirt or contamination

Minor imperfections are common and do not always prevent a successful hatch.

Step 3: Allow Eggs to Rest

Place the eggs large end up in an egg carton or tray and allow them to rest for 12–24 hours before incubation when it’s cold. This allows slow increase in temperature. When its hot weather, set eggs immediately, try not to allow them to cool off.

Step 4: Prepare Your Incubator

Before setting your eggs, confirm that your incubator is:

  • At the correct temperature

  • Properly calibrated

  • Maintaining stable humidity

  • Clean and sanitized

  • Operating correctly

Your incubator should be fully stabilized before eggs are added.

Step 5: Set Realistic Expectations

Even when eggs are packaged carefully and handled properly, shipped eggs often produce lower hatch rates than eggs collected directly from your own flock.

Shipping, handling, weather, fertility, incubation practices, and natural biological variation all influence hatchability.

A successful hatch is the result of many factors working together.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Setting eggs immediately after delivery

  • Shaking or rotating eggs excessively

  • Incubating cracked eggs

  • Changing incubator settings repeatedly

  • Expecting every fertile egg to hatch

  • Judging a breeder solely by hatch rate

Remember

Every shipment is unique.

Some eggs travel only a few hours, while others cross multiple states through changing temperatures and numerous handling points. Giving your eggs time to recover and maintaining consistent incubation conditions provides the best opportunity for success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I wash shipped hatching eggs?

No. Washing can remove the egg's natural protective bloom and may increase the risk of bacteria entering through the shell.

How long should shipped eggs rest?

Most breeders recommend allowing eggs to rest for 12 to 24 hours, large end up, before incubation.

Should I candle eggs when they arrive?

Candling can help identify detached air cells or cracked shells, but it is optional. Many breeders simply inspect the eggs visually before allowing them to rest.

What if one egg is cracked?

Heavily cracked eggs usually have a poor chance of hatching and may contaminate other eggs if they leak during incubation.

Are lower hatch rates normal with shipped eggs?

Yes. Shipping places stress on hatching eggs, and hatch rates are often lower than those from eggs collected directly from a local flock.

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