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THATS AN AWFUL LOT OF WORK ( AND BAGGIES!) WHEN THEY WILL DO JUST AS WELL ON THE COUNTERTOP IF YOUR HOME IS AIR CONDITIONED. --- Agreed!
I PERSONALLY STORE EGGS MINIMUM 3 DAYS, MAX 7... SEEMS THEY DO A TAD BETTER WITH A LITTLE AGE ON THEM? HATCHABILITY WILL REMAIN THROUGH DAY 9 AND STARTS TO DROP OFF SHARPLY AT OR JUST AFTER DAY 10.
NO A/C? I THINK I WOULD BE STORING 3 DAYS AND SETTING MORE/ SMALLER BATCHES
I HAD A CHANCE TO EXPERIMENT WITH REFRIGERATED EGGS A WHILE BACK... I GOT A BATCH OF EGGS LOCALLY THAT HAD BEEN KEPT IN THE FRIDGE. AT THE SAME TIME I RECEIVED A BATCH OF EGGS SHIPPED IN FROM MONARC23... BOTH WERE CLEARLY MARKED AND SET IN THE SAME INCUBATOR SIMULTANOEUSLY. EXACT SAME TREATMENT THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE INCUBATION AND HATCH. THE RESULTS WERE THE SAME... 50%+/- HATCH ON EACH, BUT THE VARIANCE IS THE REFRIGERATED EMBRYOS ENDED UP WITH A VERY HIGH POST HATCH MORTALITY RATE. WHILE I LOST 1 OR 2 FROM THE SHIPPED EGGS I LOST 14 OR SO FROM THE REFRIGERATED EGGS = OBVIOUSLY I HAVE NO IDEA OF HOW THE EGGS WERE TREATED BEFORE THEY CAME INTO MY POSESSION, BUT EGGS LOCALLY COLLECTED AND DRIVEN SOME 8 MILES OR SO BY ME IN MY PRIVATE AUTO VS SHIPPED 1400 MILES OR SO BY UPS (NOT USPS). SO REFRIGERATION IS AN OPTION BUT NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD 1 IF YOU'RE AFTER MAX NUMBER OF CHICKS FROM INCUBATED EGGS, OR SQUEAMISH ABOUT POST HATCH MORTALITY
Thanks JJ!
THis brings me back to something i'm either not getting or can't figure out. If i stagger the hatch every three days and I can't combine age groups until they are sexually mature (?) then i must have hundreds of brooders. that is a new brooder every three days. I've two brooders (2'x2' & 1/4" mesh); one brooder (2'x2' & 1/2" mesh) and one grow-out pen (2'x4'). i've want maximum production out of these cages. what do you recommend?
Thanks, Again!
rosco
ps. good info on the refrigerated eggs. i see people posting that they've set eggs from grocery stores. i wonder if they've been refrigerated. that is not important for me now though.