egg question

[fayediddles]

can you hatch eggs that has been kept in a refrigerator for a few weeks?

 

[lazy gardener]

What are you really asking? Is it possible? Will a refrigerated egg hatch as well as one that has not been refrigerated? Best practice is to store eggs for hatching at a coolish temp. Somewhere around 55 (based on my shabby memory!) would be ideal. Also, ideal would be that they be stored at around 50% humidity (again, based on my shabby memory) and turned several times/day like you would if you were incubating them. Also, they should be less than 10 days old, and clean, but not washed. Now, with all of that "they should be" and the "they say" done, I'll go on to say that there are folks who routinely hatch refrigerated eggs. They also have fair luck hatching eggs older than 10 days old, and they hatch eggs that have been washed or are dirty. Why there are even folks who go buy a dozen fertile refrigerated, older than 10 days old, washed eggs from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, and they get chicks!

 

[fayediddles]

well I just ordered an incubator and I've been stocking up on eggs just leaving on the counter top, but I have 5 or 6 dozen in the refrigerate and wondered can I add some of them to hatch?

 

[lazy gardener]

If you're wanting to fill that bator up, I'd start with 10 days worth of your freshest eggs. Have you checked them for fertility? After you figure out how many more eggs you're gonna need, you've got nothing to loose by using fridge eggs. I'd just be sure to mark them so that when hatch day comes, you will know whether the fridge eggs were successful or not. What kind of eggs? If you just have barn yard mix, you could also look around for a local flock and buy a dozen or so eggs from a neighbor and set those as well.

 

[fayediddles]

I have Australorp, Orpington Bantam , Dominique. and yes the eggs are fertile. I also have 1 Norfolk Grey sure wished I had her a rooster.