Hatching Egg Care Page – Shipped Eggs
Each egg has been inspected prior to packing them. Poultry and waterfowl hatching eggs are individually
wrapped and packed in Sylvacurl, a biodegradable, reusable, and compostable material safe for the
environment directly sourced here in Vermont. Quail eggs are packed in a cardboard carton surrounded
by Sylvacurl as well. With how we pack, we don’t need to double box!
When you Receive your Eggs
When you receive your eggs, it will come by either USPS priority mail, which takes roughly around 2-3
business days to get to you, or USPS express, which expedites the transit to you, but is more costly. Once
you receive your package, gently unpack the box.
Setting your Eggs
When you open your package, gently take the eggs out and place them in their designated egg trays and
let them rest for at least 12 hours at room temperature. This allows the eggs to acclimate to their new
surroundings and prepare for the setting of the eggs in the incubator. Make sure your incubator has
been turned on for at least 3 days prior to receiving your eggs, to make sure that the temp. is correct and
to watch for fluctuations. The temp. should be 99.5 degrees F in a circulated incubator (one with a fan)
and 101 in a still air incubator.
Humidity
Depending on your environment there are two methods of humidity control. You can keep a consistent
humidity of 50%-60% or dry hatch (this is keeping the humidity at a very low number and raising the
humidity right at the end.
Temperature
Incubator temp. should be maintained between 99-101 degrees F depending on if you have a circulated
or still air incubator. A circulated (incubator with fan) should be maintained at 99.5 degrees F. A still air
incubator should be at 100-101 degrees F. If you have an automatic turner, the incubators tend to run
hotter, therefore make sure you have two thermometers in the incubator to monitor the temp.
Hatch Day
3 days prior to hatch day, take the eggs out of the incubator into the hatcher or turn off any automatic
turners if you are using the incubator as the hatcher. Make sure your brooder (a place to put your new
babies) is prepared at least 2 weeks ahead of time.
