We found eggs - now what?

there is definitaly hope!! Keep over a candle 24/7! And keep in sight!! i hope it makes it through andi helped.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manaoio 

Hi, we are the proud owners of one hen at our school; but today we went on a field trip and found 3 eggs under a tree. They were coldish (It's Maui, and was 73 degrees) but I think they had been laid today. We candled them, and couldn't really see anything so I  finally broke one open. It was definitely fertilized. I have no incubator, but I am ordering one.What do I do until it gets here? Is there hope for this egg?

How awesome!!!  I wish you luck with hatching them!!!  are you going to collect more until you get the incubator???

Below is a paste from article ...  http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101

Collection & Storage of Eggs

Sources for eggs are to search the BYC buy sell trade section, Craigslist and eBay. Your local thread on BYC may be the best bet for local eggs! Look for your local site in the “Social section” “Where am I? Where are You!” on BYC.

Choose eggs that are of good size, not abnormally big or small. Do NOT set dirty, cracked, or porous eggs. Try not to wash eggs as you will disrupt the protective barrier. Avoid using cloths to clean eggs because this removes the egg's protective coating and exposes it to entry of disease organisms. The washing and rubbing action also serves to force disease organisms through the pores of the shell. Place the eggs upright in an egg carton with the FAT, air cell end of the egg UP! Allow eggs to sit in a moderately cool, somewhat humid place for storage. Basements are great. Moderately cool means 55-65 degrees. Rotate your eggs a 3 times a day to keep the embryo from sticking. An easy way to turn all of the eggs at once is to place a thick book under one end of the carton, and later remove the book and put it under the other end of the carton, 3 times a day. Before adding eggs to the incubator always WARM eggs UP slowly to room temperature. IF THE EGGS ARE COLD Condensation can cause bacterial growth on the eggs! You can collect eggs up until 10 days or so, but after the 7^th day lower hatch rates may result. Stored eggs take longer to hatch (about one hour per day of storage).

It is important to ALWAYS wash your hands before handling your hatching eggs!

Omphalitis, yolk sack infection is caused by a bacterium that enters through the porous egg shell and easily kills embryo's and newly hatched chicks. Unfortunately, incubation conditions are ideal for breeding bacteria as well as incubating eggs.

For more information on storing eggs refer to Recommendations for hatching egg handling and storage

Good luck with your hatch and