In-Ovo Samples

Sample Collection & Shipping Instructions

Follow these instructions to collect your sample, then review the rules and shipping info below.

How to Take an IN-Ovo Sample

IN-Ovo testing lets you determine the sex of a chick before hatch by collecting a tiny sample from the egg during incubation. Because the sample is shipped on coffee filter paper, it stays stable in transit — but you still need fast shipping so results arrive before the hatch date.

What you’ll need

  • A clean, stable incubator environment where the egg can be returned immediately
  • A bright candler or flashlight
  • A sterile 25 G needle, lancet, or tiny drill bit for making a small opening
  • A sterile pipette, capillary tube, or thin loop for collecting the drop
  • Sterile alcohol wipes
  • Food-grade wax, parafilm, or a small piece of clean tape to reseal the hole
  • Clean coffee filters or plain printer paper only (see rules below)
  • One small zip-lock bag per egg, labeled with the Bird ID

Step by step

  1. Time it right. Collect between days 9 and 14 of incubation. Earlier than day 9 may not yield enough DNA; later than day 14 leaves too little time for results before hatch.
  2. Candle the egg. In a dim room, shine the candler through the egg to locate a blood vessel on the inner membrane. Mark the spot gently with a pencil.
  3. Make a small opening. Use a clean needle, lancet, or tiny drill bit to make a very small hole in the shell at the marked spot. Do not push deep — you only need to reach the membrane.
  4. Collect the sample. Draw a tiny drop of blood or allantoic fluid with a sterile pipette, capillary tube, or loop, and touch it directly to a coffee filter or plain printer paper. Get 2 to 3 small drops in roughly the same spot.
  5. Seal the hole immediately. Cover the shell opening with melted food-grade wax, parafilm, or a small clean piece of tape. The goal is to keep the egg sealed and prevent contamination.
  6. Return the egg to the incubator. Place it back quickly and keep humidity and temperature stable. Handle it as little as possible.
  7. Let the sample dry completely before bagging. Damp samples can mold in transit.
  8. Bag and label. Place the dry sample in its own zip-lock bag. Write the Bird ID on the bag, matching the ID you assigned to that egg.
Sending it inPlace all bagged samples in a regular mailing envelope. Write your order number on the outside. Do not tape the envelope shut. Choose an expedited shipping option so the sample arrives with enough time for us to process and return results before the hatch date.
IN-Ovo collection can lower your hatch rate

Puncturing the shell and membrane introduces risk. Even with proper technique, some eggs may stop developing, become contaminated, or fail to hatch. We strongly recommend only testing eggs from hatches where you can accept some loss.

  • Do not attempt this on every egg in a small hatch. Leave yourself a buffer of untested eggs.
  • Do not use a large needle or drill deep. A bigger hole or deeper puncture dramatically increases infection and dehydration risk.
  • Do not skip resealing the shell. An unsealed hole will dry the egg out and kill the embryo.
IN-Ovo sample must be on coffee filters OR plain printer paper. Nothing else.
OK to use
Clean coffee filters, plain white printer paper.
Do NOT use
Paper towel, toilet paper, napkins, tissue paper, cupcake wrappers, parchment paper, or used coffee filters.
Anything other than the two listed materials will either fall apart, contaminate the sample, or refuse to hold the blood properly, and we will not be able to run the test.
You must pay for expedited shipping to get results before hatch

IN-Ovo is only useful if you receive the results before the chick hatches. Standard mail is too slow. You must choose an expedited shipping option (for example, USPS Priority Mail Express, UPS Next Day Air, or FedEx Priority Overnight) and ship the same day you collect.

Please time your collection so the sample arrives at the lab with at least a few days of processing margin before your expected hatch date. If you cannot guarantee fast shipping, use Eggshell testing after hatch instead.

IN-Ovo specific rules
  • One egg per bag. Never combine samples from multiple eggs.
  • Label the bag with the exact Bird ID you entered on the website. The egg in the incubator must be labeled with the same ID.
  • Keep the egg warm and upright after resealing. Minimize time outside the incubator.
  • Do not add anything to the sample. No water, saline, anticoagulants, or preservatives.
  • Ship the same day you collect. Delayed shipping almost always means results arrive after hatch.
Rules that apply to every sample type
  • Do NOT tape your envelopes shut. We have to open them. Tape tears the envelope and can damage the samples inside.
  • Write your order number on the OUTSIDE of your envelope or package. You do not need to use the QR code — the order number by itself is enough. This is the single best way to prevent your order from being delayed or mixed up.
  • One bird per bag. Each bird gets its own labeled zip-lock bag with its Bird ID exactly as you entered it on the website. Do not combine birds, even siblings from the same hatch.
  • Do not reuse Bird IDs for multiple birds in the same order.
Ship all samples to:
The Silkie Lab
740 Shaw Road
Bailey, MI 49303
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