Confused about eggs??

[marcuscarr]

Hopefully someone can explain this to me.

If a chicken lays an egg a day for 10 days, then sits on all 10 eggs, do the eggs all hatch around the same day?

Do they hatch one a day for ten days?

If they hatch around the same day, then one egg would be 21 days old and another could be 27 days old. I must be missing something.

Marcus

 

[Bamaman]

They will all hatch at the same time. The hen lays the eggs, but the embryo does not grow until she begins setting on the eggs this warms them and allows the embryo to grow.

 

[marcuscarr]

So If I were to incubate, I could collect eggs for a few days, then put them in the incubator all at once?

Do I have to turn the eggs during the collecting period?

What temperature range should eggs be during the collecting period?

Thank you =]
Marcus

 

[speckledhen]

Unless the weather is really hot, the eggs will not start incubatingt till the hen sits on them good and solid. Most people who want hens to hatch eggs gather the eggs and store them up till a hen goes broody, never letting eggs just stay in the nest. When she goes truly broody, not leaving the nest at night to go to roost, that's when they put the eggs underneath her.
They will not stay on unhatched eggs for very long because they must care for the chicks already hatched so eggs that are too long from hatching won't have a chance if left in the nest.
You collect and store, big end up, at 50-65 degrees, till time. Do not store longer than two weeks, one week is much better. And you can tilt them side to side once a day, but dont have to unless you're storing them more than a few days. Then put them all in at once.

 

[marcuscarr]

The biology is amazing.

Marcus

 

[speckledhen]

I agree! And watching a broody hen hatch and care for chicks is awesome.

 

[Bamaman]

Yes you can store them, i tried to do this once but the eggs were about 3 weeks old by the time i got to set them and only 4 of 12 hatched. I think the maximum time is about 2 weeks for a good hatch. You need to store them small end down and at a temp of abou 57-60 degrees.

speckledhen beat me to it.