First time about to incubate egg handling questions

[Redheadhomestead]

Hey all! I’m about to try my hand at incubation for the first time. I read through the majority of the sticky posts they were super helpful.

My main questions have to do with collection/handling and storage of eggs until I’m ready to incubate.

1. Once I collect the eggs, should I wash them, or do they need to be washed before going into the incubator?
2 How long can I store these eggs before they need to be incubated?
3. How should I store these eggs while I’m waiting.
4. If a breed is sex linked, (barred rock Benz welsummer roo) how soon should I be able to notice the color markings? I’d assume after a day or two when the hens fluff up and fill in with down?

Any other tidbits of egg handling prior to going in the incubator are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[nuthatched]

Hi there, Don't wash the eggs, just make sure the eggs are clean. You can store about a week before fertility drops. Fat end up, in a cool place, in a carton.
I don't know about the sex linking.

 

[FunClucks]

Most folks will tell you not to wash the eggs. You can get good results most of the time doing this. However, I had/have an issue with extremely dirty/poopy eggs that I wanted to incubate, and there was no good way except washing them to get the poop off. So what I did was spray them in hydrogen peroxide until the egg was dripping, then use a microfiber cloth to scrub off the poop, then rinse again with hydrogen peroxide to remove any liquid having poop in it. I set them on a towel to air dry, and they got mostly dry. Then I set them directly into my incubator (Nurture Right 360). All my eggs were sprayed with hydrogen peroxide, and the inside of my incubator was washed with soap and water. I wiped down any bits I couldn't wash with alcohol wipes.

By spraying with H2O2, I was removing the natural barrier the eggs have against infection, so I needed to make sure they were in a very clean environment after that. I washed my hands immediately prior to turning them (I had a few I had to turn by hand due to overloading my incubator).

All my eggs were fertile, and 21 out of 24 hatched perfectly. One of those I had to cull (an extra large egg, I don't think my incubator turned it well, so not all the chick's insides were inside the chick at hatch). Hatch rate of 20/24 is pretty good.

It may have been overkill - they may have hatched fine without the H2O2 drench and scrub, but for my first hatch, I wanted to give them the best chance possible. I've heard that commercially, they wash the eggs with H2O2 prior to setting them. It also helps remove any dander or mites, or anything I can't see that might cause disease, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Just another perspective in case you have trouble setting clean eggs.

 

[Redheadhomestead]

Thank you! The main reason I ask is because my gut tells me nature leaves the bloom in tact, however i try to sell/gift my clean eggs and would prefer to use the dirtier ones. It’s mostly for fun though so I’m happy to use my clean eggs on this first run to see the success

 

[mcdze]

i have best hatch rate doing nothing to the eggs .. collect them gently, daily, on time so they dont get kicked around all day by multiple hens and place them in a cool, draft free safe spot .. turning isnt necessary BUT depending on time of year and temp some can actually start off and on out of the bator not kidding which can stagger your hatch ... so, if it cooler like less than 72F id collect up to 5 days then start what you got .. if its summer and theyre getting warmer sometimes, id keep collection time less like 3 days and go ahead and start them, that plan should keep hatch rate above 90% ... ive tried other ways like collecting in the fridge for 10-12 days and doing a big batch, but hatchrate goes way down like less than 75% ...

 

[Redheadhomestead]

That’s great info I’ll absolutely make that my routine

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. Once I collect the eggs, should I wash them, or do they need to be washed before going into the incubator?

The standard recommendation is to only set clean eggs and do not wash them. Removing the bloom can make it easier for bacteria to get inside. But you are purposely setting dirty eggs you don't want to sell. A light bit of poop or dirt isn't bad but a clump of poop or mud can remove the bloom and house bacteria.

Hatcheries wash their eggs but I'm not a hatchery. I don't have a fumigation schedule for the room the incubator is in. I don't have the sanitation requirements for washing up and have sanitized clothing for anyone entering that room. But since your eggs are dirty, washing them and keeping everything as sanitary as you can is the best you can do.

Since you have an enhanced risk of bacteria getting inside I'd suggest every two or three days you sniff the eggs. If you smell a rotten egg smell get rid of that egg and wash your hands before you touch anything else. To me this is about minimizing risk not courting it.

2 How long can I store these eggs before they need to be incubated?
3. How should I store these eggs while I’m waiting.

These go together. The ideal temperature to store eggs for hatch is 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The ideal humidity is high, think in the 80% humidity range. You want the temperature to stay fairly constant, fluctuations up and down are not good. Try to avoid breezes from AC or heating vents from hitting them. It helps to turn them some, at least three times a day.

The closer you are to these conditions the longer they stay hatchable. It is not like they all stay great for a specific time then all of a sudden every egg goes bad. Some eggs can handle the wait better than others.

If you can meet these conditions they can probably last two weeks or more in storage. Very few of us have an ideal place to store them so just do the best you can. I store mine in a spare bedroom inside a dresser drawer to keep them away from my dog and turn them three times a day. The temperature is in the 70's F and humidity can be pretty low because of the heat or AC. I can store mine for a week and still get good hatch rates.

4. If a breed is sex linked, (barred rock Benz welsummer roo) how soon should I be able to notice the color markings? I’d assume after a day or two when the hens fluff up and fill in with down?

You should be able to see the spot as soon as the chick dries off. You can't wait very long and that still work, just a few days for the spot. Once they start feathering out you can see the barring on his feathers, probably wing feathers first. Her feathers will be solid black, no barring. The first post in this very long thread has photos of black sex link chicks. It might help.

Sex- linked Information | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens

If you have other black chicks you will not know that any without the spot are actually pullets. You have to know which hen and rooster they came from.