Can Eggs Still Be Used For Incubation After They've Been Frozen?

[ChickenGirl555]

It's still below freezing every day here, and I am planning to incubate my own flock's eggs in just 3 weeks, but I'm worried it will still be freezing then, and I don't have the time to sit near the coop waiting for them to lay so I can collect them before they freeze.

If properly stored and melted, can fertilized eggs still be used to incubate after they've been frozen? I of course wouldn't use cracked eggs.

 

[Cyprus]

I wouldn't think so, but there's plenty of things that people didn't think would work that turned out to prove them wrong. So, who knows?

You can check out an article on here about heated nesting boxes if you wish

 

[ChickenCanoe]

In short, the answer is no.
They can be in below freezing conditions for short periods but below -2C ice crystals will form in the egg and damage important structures.
I recommend collecting an hour after dawn and hourly thereafter till most of the day's eggs are collected while it is below freezing. From time to time, you'll have an egg laid later in the afternoon.
If it is above 0C/32F they should be fine.

I used to use aquarium heat mats under the nest pads. By next winter, I'll probably retrofit all nests with something that comes on when it drops below 32F.