Collecting Eggs for Incubating

[tia]

How long can you hold eggs before putting them in the incubator??? I have them in my garage which is fairly cold, but not as cold as the refrigerator.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Starting them in the first week gives them the best chance. After that the chances of them hatching starts to decrease. You should also turn the eggs while they are being stored- and around 50 degrees is a good temp for them to be at until they are incubated.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

Don't forget to turn them 3-5 times per day while storing. Technically you can store up to 2 weeks without to much loss according to Holderread. I personally do not like to store them for more then a week. Mine are stored at 60 degrees, again this is according to Holderread, and it does work well for me. Make sure to store them safe or mice can get to them. I had one egg that was chewed on so I set traps. Caught one mouse but the traps are still being set. Haven't had one in over a month. I think that one got in by accident. I do store my eggs in the shop, which is slightly heated. I'm using a rubbermaid tub with pine shavings and a loose lid on it.