Can a fertile egg be refrigerated and later be put in an incubator?

[lurky]

I had eggs for over 2 weeks in the fridge and they hatched.

 

[countrybum]

Quote:
I wanted Guineas so I took the 14 my friend had in the frig for over a week, out of 14 eggs 9 hatched. So it can be done and does work. The main thing with eggs, animals and humans is time frame. After a certain time the fertility is gone.

 

[Randy]

I would say it would depend on the temp of the fridge. Some people keep thiers turned down colder than others.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
I agree. If they aren't too cold, or in there for too long, you can still get a pretty good hatch rate. The colder the fridge, the fewer will hatch. Also the longer you keep them in the fridge, the fewer will hatch.

Be sure you let them warm to room temp, and stay that way a few hours, before you place them in the bator, or under a hen.

 

[sarabeth53]

Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry says that if you refrigerate a fertile egg it will kill its chances of recovering and being able to hatch.

I wouldnt risk it.

 

[dancingbear]

A lot of books make statements that turn out to be incorrect. Just because it got published, doesn't mean it's 100% correct.

I tend to believe it when I read hundreds of people's statements, that they've hatched eggs after refrigeration, or marking with sharpies, or whatever. I just don't believe that all those folks are lying about what they've done.

I also believe my own experience. Having hatched refrigerated eggs, and eggs that have been washed, and eggs marked with sharpies, and eggs that have been left cold by confused hens, and so on, I know perfectly well that these eggs are often a lot more resilient than we give them credit for.

I wouldn't advise sticking expensive eggs in the fridge if you're gonna hatch them. But I've had eggs I saved for hatching get put in the fridge by mistake, and went ahead and set them anyway, and gotten a good hatch.

If you are afraid your eggs may get too warm, here's the deal: If they're kept where it's below 90F, they'll be fine for a few days. If you can manage a bit cooler than that, anything down to about 50F, that's even better.

If they need to wait more than 5 days, and your house is really hot, you may want to see if you can keep them at a friend's house who has A/C. Write on the carton in big black sharpie, "Eggs for hatching, do not refrigerate, do not shake, keep at room temp, small end down!" to avoid an unfortunate incident.

You could also leave the carton open, and cover the eggs with a damp cloth, and keep them cooler by evaporation.

 

[Bird Brain]

I had read on here people storing eggs in the fridge for 2 weeks and them later hatching in the bator. I thought that was awsome and wanted to test it for myself. I had a dozen in the fridge and started the clock. Today was day 18 and chucked every single egg. Not a one started developing. But I was talking to a friend of mine and he said he doesnt like to chance it in the refrigerator, but he has done it and had some sucess.

 

[jay2009begenner]

Thank you very much for all the great info. I will probably start a bunch tomorrow. I will mark all the eggs that were refridgerated and not refridgerated. Iwill let everyone know the results in a few weeks. Wish me luck. Thanks again everyone for being so kind.

 

[Davaroo]

I'm always a little amused at the posts on this. Someone always asks if you can, others say they do and still others say it's a waste of time. A book or two is always quoted against it, and still another "expert" says it works.

Personally, having done it, I can't imagine why anyone would bother with it, except as a one-off experiment. Once is enough to teach you there are better ways to expend your hatching resources.
I mean if you look around, there is always someone who has fertile, NON refrigerated eggs. It takes a little ferreting, perhaps, but chickens are not uncommon.

I guess hatching fridge-kept eggs is like beer - you gotta try it at least once.

 

[countrybum]

Quote:
Hate to say, that is one persons theory. I just hatched 8 out of 12 Guinea eggs that had been refrigerated for a week. The 8 hatched just fine.