Are older (10+ days) hatching eggs more likely to produce unhealthy chicks?

[house_hippo]

sorry I am new so don't have any advice. But I am going to try to set another batch of eggs (first batch didn't seem to develop at all). Should I store them in my basement? they will only be a week old at most and I keep my house at 65 so on the cooler side. Also do I need to turn them if only a week?

The last batch I kept in the house and turned them (tilted the egg carton they were in side to side) once a day since that is what I was told to do. not sure if that is why none developed since I had checked some eggs and they seemed fertilized.

The recommendation I went by said to store hatching eggs at 13-18°C (55-65°F), and my basement sits around 15°C/60°F. I keep the main part of my house a bit too warm.

 

[Tonyroo]

I

I've hatched my own flock eggs half were 3 to 4 weeks old other half was 1 to 2 weeks old. All eggs in the incubator hatched 10/10.

The reason for the gap between the age of the eggs was that I was collecting from 1 hen.

The rooster and hen were a little over a year old. So fertility was very strong.

When I stored my eggs, I had them in a egg carton on the kitchen counter, I never turned them.

But it's really important to wear gloves or keep your hands sanitized whenever you handle hatching eggs.

I wash my hands then spray some hydrogen peroxide to remove any remaining bacteria on my hands.

 

[house_hippo]

I

When I stored my eggs, I had them in a egg carton on the kitchen counter, I never turned them.

But it's really important to wear gloves or keep your hands sanitized whenever you handle hatching eggs.

I wash my hands then spray some hydrogen peroxide to remove any remaining bacteria on my hands.

I keep hand sanitizer bottles all over, partially for this reason.

I also own a parrot and so I have to be very careful about changing clothes/shoes after being in contact with the chickens. And of course now with the HPAI bird flu in North America, it's even more important to be mindful of biosecurity...

Having a pump bottle of sanitizer anywhere you move between different sets of birds (or eggs) is just a really easy way to remind everyone in the house.

 

[house_hippo]

Just thought I would give an update on my "old" egg incubation. I set 20 eggs last week, the oldest of which were 15 days old at the time of setting. It is day 7 today and I have only had one quitter (14 days old when set), which was fertile but never developed past one tiny vein. Hopefully the success continues and I have a good hatch. I will do my best to update in a couple of weeks when hatching has wrapped up!