**Please make sure to contact me when your eggs arrive and let me know if they came in good condition. Always check your eggs for any cracks or breakage upon arrival. Extras are included to cover possible breakage, but if there are broken eggs over and above that amount, please let me know immediately. Also, if you have any broken eggs or the package looks like it has had a really rough trip, make sure to candle the eggs at 7-14 days and see if there has been a lot of damage. Sometimes, even though the remaining eggs don't appear to be damaged, they can be affected. Although I cannot guarantee your hatch rate, I can at least ensure that you receive the number of eggs you paid for in good condition and that they are fertile. Please report if you have a large amount of clear eggs. Although I test hatch several of eggs to check fertility, occasionally something will affect the eggs and I will be unaware of it, so I appreciate your letting me know. I expect you to get your money's worth from my eggs. Never, ever be satisfied with infertile, dirty, poorly packaged or rotten eggs.
First, remove the eggs from their wrappers and place them in the egg cartons, large end up, and allow to sit for 24 hours at room temperature before placing them in your incubator. This will help the air cells to settle from shipping and can really make a difference in your hatching. Let your incubator run for 24-48 hours to stabilize temperatures and do not adjust it once you have placed the eggs into it.
Incubator temperatures are generally 99.5 degrees F for forced air and 101 degrees F for still air. Follow your manufacturer's instructions for your particular incubator. I usually lower the temperature 1 degree F during the last three days of incubation, as the hatching eggs raise the temperature slightly, but this is not absolutely necessary.
If possible, leave the birds in the incubator or hatcher until the hatching period is over, to avoid losing temperature and humidity while the other eggs are in the process of hatching. The chicks should be left in the hatcher for at least 12-24 hours, until they are fully fluffed, and I have left them up to 48 hours when a hatch was still in progress, without negative effects. They have enough reserves after hatching to go up to 72 hours without food or water, but the sooner they get something to eat and drink, the better.
It is a good rule to always dip the beak of each bird into the waterer as you put them into the brooders. Make sure you see them swallow, so you know they have gotten a drink. Dipping the beak into the feed can also be done, although I usually don't find it necessary. Birds that are hatched at home rarely have trouble finding feed or water.
