Collecting eggs for incubation during freezing temperatures

[nchls school]

I'm retired and spend each day with my birds and pack of dogs. If I want winter hatching eggs I watch for hens to leave the nests and then collect immediately. This is not practical for most people so I ask the question for others that don't know and for the day I cannot collect as I do. At what temperature are eggs no longer viable for incubation purposes?

 

[R2elk]

I'm retired and spend each day with my birds and pack of dogs. If I want winter hatching eggs I watch for hens to leave the nests and then collect immediately. This is not practical for most people so I ask the question for others that don't know and for the day I cannot collect as I do. At what temperature are eggs no longer viable for incubation purposes?

Brinsea says

"Zone of cold injury
(-2°C/28.4°F)
Below this threshold ice crystals will start to form in the egg and permanently damage may be done to internal structures meaning the egg cannot hatch. Eggs may lie for some considerable time in temperatures close to freezing without suffering damage."

Lethal Internal Temperature for the Chicken, from Fertile Egg to Mature Bird

 

[nchls school]

Thank you for your response. I will keep this temperature in mind should I not be able to collect eggs as they are laid.

 

[R2elk]

Thank you for your response. I will keep this temperature in mind should I not be able to collect eggs as they are laid.

When I collect eggs for incubation during cold periods, I set them all as long as they do not have any visible cracks. It is possible that mine have not been exposed to the low temperatures long enough to matter. If I set them and they are viable, great, if I set them and they are not viable, it is what it is. But if I don't set eggs that may be viable, I have lost the opportunity to hatch those eggs.