diff --git a/pkg/storage/batch.go b/pkg/storage/batch.go
index a072136fc217..9c8462ecf135 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/batch.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/batch.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ type batchChunkIterator struct {
 	lastOverlapping []*LazyChunk
 	iterFactory     chunksIteratorFactory
 
+	begun      bool
+	ctx        context.Context
 	cancel     context.CancelFunc
 	start, end time.Time
 	direction  logproto.Direction
@@ -69,6 +71,7 @@ func newBatchChunkIterator(
 		start:       start,
 		end:         end,
 		direction:   direction,
+		ctx:         ctx,
 		cancel:      cancel,
 		iterFactory: iterFactory,
 		chunks:      lazyChunks{direction: direction, chunks: chunks},
@@ -78,10 +81,17 @@ func newBatchChunkIterator(
 		}),
 	}
 	sort.Sort(res.chunks)
-	go res.loop(ctx)
 	return res
 }
 
+// Start is idempotent and will begin the processing thread which seeds the iterator data.
+func (it *batchChunkIterator) Start() {
+	if !it.begun {
+		it.begun = true
+		go it.loop(it.ctx)
+	}
+}
+
 func (it *batchChunkIterator) loop(ctx context.Context) {
 	for {
 		if it.chunks.Len() == 0 {
@@ -111,6 +121,8 @@ func (it *batchChunkIterator) loop(ctx context.Context) {
 }
 
 func (it *batchChunkIterator) Next() bool {
+	it.Start() // Ensure the iterator has started.
+
 	var err error
 	// for loop to avoid recursion
 	for {
@@ -300,7 +312,10 @@ func newLogBatchIterator(
 	}
 
 	batch := newBatchChunkIterator(ctx, chunks, batchSize, direction, start, end, logbatch.newChunksIterator)
+	// Important: since the batchChunkIterator is bound to the LogBatchIterator,
+	// ensure embedded fields are present before it's started.
 	logbatch.batchChunkIterator = batch
+	batch.Start()
 	return logbatch, nil
 }
 
@@ -398,7 +413,11 @@ func newSampleBatchIterator(
 		ctx:       ctx,
 	}
 	batch := newBatchChunkIterator(ctx, chunks, batchSize, logproto.FORWARD, start, end, samplebatch.newChunksIterator)
+
+	// Important: since the batchChunkIterator is bound to the SampleBatchIterator,
+	// ensure embedded fields are present before it's started.
 	samplebatch.batchChunkIterator = batch
+	batch.Start()
 	return samplebatch, nil
 }