I know this has been asked, I may have asked it. But I can't find it. How long can an egg set b/f you incubate it. Sunday my dh brought home some eggs from a friend for me to hatch. They were gathered that day. My incubator is not ready and probably won't be until Sat or Sun, then I still like to run it for at least 12 hrs, preferably a whole day b/f I set eggs. I have been tilting them, but how long can they sit there?
7-10 days @ around 60 degrees. The longer they sit, the less viable they become. Keep turning them (twice a day).
The longer they sit, the less successful your hatch will be--typically. 7-10 days is generally the upper limit, though of course there are exceptions to everything. I think you'd probably be ok if they've been kept at a decent temperature, especially because they weren't shipped. I'd set them, personally. Just don't expect as good of a hatch rate as if you shipped eggs that were only a couple of days old. I've set eggs that were nearly 2 weeks old and had OK hatches. These were of course my own eggs, so they didn't have to be shipped anywhere. When I ship eggs, I never ship anything older than 3 days old, preferably no older than 2. But that's a whole 'nother story altogether! ETA: Whoops. BigRedFeather, we were posting at exactly the same time...and said pretty much the same thing....hehe!
Ok, I will go ahead and set them, I have nothing to lose. The eggs were given to me, so I might as well try. And I can always do a staggered hatch so it's not like I will have to wait and see on those b/f I can set more. Thanks a lot!
Quote:I am not shure if turning eggs before actual incubation is necessary. In natural incubation process hen or hens lay eggs in the nest until a broody sits on them. No hen turns the eggs in the nest before broody starts incubating them and then turning them in incubation process. Eggs are exposed to elements, like wide swings of temperature day and night, rain etc and they still hatch. I have my best chicks (mutts) hatched in January by a mutt naked neck hen, she hatched them in Central Florida cypress swamp in January. One day she came out from swamp with 16 beautiful chicks and she raised every one of them. January nights even in Fla are cold, I doubt if those eggs were turned 3 times a day by any living creatures before incubation. By the color of the chicks it seems they came out of 2 or most three hens. I do not know how many eggs were in the nest. But it probably took at least a week or more between the first egg was layed and the setting started.
