Pre-heat eggs prior to setting

[John W Blehm]

I know I've talked about this before, but can't find posts that talk about it, so it seems like a good time to remind some and inform others about warming hatching eggs before putting them in the setters.  If you don't already follow this practice it is something to consider. 

Preheating brings the eggs to a uniform temperature of 25 ˚C (77 ˚F) in an ­operating setter, prior to the onset of incubation. This is the first step towards achieving a short hatch window - and therefore a uniform hatch. In the absence of a pre-heat function on the incubator, eggs can be pre-warmed by placing filled setter trolleys in the setter room.

My egg storage room is kept close to 60 degrees (average about 55 to 60) and the setting incubators are close to 100 (99.6).  It is a drastic change of 40 degrees to set 60 degree eggs directly into a 100 degree incubator, so for the past few years I'm begun moving the eggs into the hatchery about 12 to 24 hours before setting them.  I keep the hatchery close to 80 degrees (average 75 to 80).  This gradual warming means less condensation from the eggs and since it is a common practice in commercial hatcheries and recommended by the "experts" it seems like it is worth the little extra time involved. 

[Schroeder]

Great info.  Thanks John.  Do you wait a couple of days after putting the eggs in the incubator before you start the turner?

[John W Blehm]

Great info.  Thanks John.  Do you wait a couple of days after putting the eggs in the incubator before you start the turner?

No.  I've never heard of doing that and wouldn't know a reason to.  Have you read or heard to do that?
I do rotate the eggs once a day in the storage room, even before going into the setters. 
I believe most incubator instructions say to turn the eggs for 18 days, but I leave them in the setters for 19 days before moving them to the hatchers. 

[Russ Blair]

I have always waited 24 hours before I turned automatic turner on. I thought I saw it recommended in a hatching book??

[Schroeder]

I remember reading to wait a day or two before starting the hatcher.  I think it might have been on the BYC forum.  Lots of newbies on that forum so I take with a grain of salt what I read there.

[Linda Ferguson]

I've heard the recommendation of letting hatching eggs set a day or two before starting the turner with "shipped eggs". It gives the air bubble in the egg a chance to settle before starting to turn them.  Linda

[Beth Curran]

Linda, that's what I was thinking. I've heard shipped eggs should be allowed to settle 24 hours before setting, and shouldn't be turned the first day or two, but that's the only reference to not turning I can recall.

[Suki]

I have always waited 24 hours before I turned automatic turner on. I thought I saw it recommended in a hatching book??

Yep.  Janet Stromberg's says that.  I have found it does make a difference. 

[Russ Blair]

I thought I read it somewhere, thanks for confirming my sanity. If I remember right the reasoning to wait 24 hours before turning was to help the embryo attach?

[John W Blehm]

I've had Janet's book, A Guide To Better Hatching, for decades, but don't remember reading that.  Can someone point me to the page and text?  I believe she told me one of her sons was revising the book a few years ago.

[Suki]

I thought I read it somewhere, thanks for confirming my sanity. If I remember right the reasoning to wait 24 hours before turning was to help the embryo attach?

  Correct!

[Justin Snyder]

Thanks John, I had never heard this before so I am bringing it to the top for everyone who is in my boat. I hate long hatch windows.