how long can I save hatching eggs?

[TK Poultry]

I have a batch of Bantam Ameraucana eggs due to hatch May 2nd and another batch due to hatch May 9th. I want to save up some Silkie eggs to set but I don't want to put them in just yet. How long can I save them for and still have a decent hatch rate?

 

[CapricornFarm]

It depends on quite a few factors. I think the most important is temperature. If you keep them cool, like 60 degrees I think they can be good for about a week if you keep turning them.

 

[weimarmama]

I hatched 7 out of 8 eggs last month & the oldest was 10 days old. I've heard of people hatching out 2 week old eggs with fair results. It really just depends on how you store them.

 

[Highlander]

I was mailed 12 eggs last month from another BYC-er. The youngest egg was around 5 days old when I set them, the oldest was over 2 weeks old. One didn't develop, I dropped another. 10 were fully developed at lockdown and 7 hatched. I also set some duck eggs this month that were well over a week old when they went into the incubator, all but 3 are developing nicely.

 

[TK Poultry]

my house is very cool and just planned on sitting them on my counter until the hatch which is 8 days away. I just got the Silkies so I'm not even sure if they are laying at my house yet. They were laying everyday to every other day at their former home. Do you thing this is ok?

 

[Silkie Sue]

I just put 17 Polish eggs the bator and the oldest egg is about 20 days old... i have all the eggs marked as to the day they were laid... we'll see how this experiment goes

 

[cluckcluck42]

I regularly hatch eggs that are over 2 weeks old with excellent results. I have eggs in the bator right now that are pushing a month old. I expect good results with them too. Don't worry unless your eggs are over two weeks old. You'll definitely lose some hatchability with older eggs but not nearly as much as I expected.

 

[TK Poultry]

Quote:
ok. I just don't want eggs at too many differnt stages of development in the incubator at the same time. I might just wait until the 9th to set some because that is when my second batch of Ameraucana eggs are due.

Thanks So Much Guys!