I am getting about 4 eggs aday out of my chickens. Was wondering how long can they be stored before i have to put them in the bator? Thought maybe hold for couple days till i got 12. Or would it be best to put 4 in each day? But then i have questions about how lock down and the higher hmidity will effect the other eggs. I didnt know what to search under so I apologise if this question has been asked before. thank you Ryan
If you're getting 4 eggs a day that'll only be a 3 day wait. I'd put them all in at the same time. I'm not sure how long it takes before they're no longer usable but I've waited more than a week to set mine sometimes. I'm sure you're good for at least a week.
Eggs should remain viable for about 10 days IF you keep them in an area (like your counter top) that is NOT refrigerated. Temps between 55-65F are supposed to be "ideal" but I typically just leave them on my counter. Unless you have a cabinet type incubator (or more than 1 small one), I would suggest just gathering all the eggs and setting them at one time to avoid having a staggered hatch. Should give you plenty of time to collect a dozen or so before you set them Good luck!!!
you can store eggs for 7 days and be ok. just put them in eggs cartons small end down, room temp, 50 to 60 degrees is ideal, and prop up one end of the carton and swap ends once a day. if you have a auto turner in your bator you can just put them in there with bator off and turner on. but you will have to have the thermostat allready set. when you get the eggs you need just plug it in and count the next day as day one.
Other than the sugestion to refrigerate, you are getting good advice. This link talks quite a bit about storing eggs for hatching. I would certainly wait and start them all at the same time. And I'd store them on the counter as long as your temperatures are not in the upper 70's or higher. I'd do it anyway but I'd try to find a place that was a little cooler if I could. Some people report that they get refrigerated eggs to hatch, but the hatch rate will usually be better if the eggs are not kept quite that cold unless you have a special refrigerator set quite high for hatching egg storage. Texas A&M Incubation site http://gallus.tamu.edu/Extension publications/b6092.pdf Never be afraid to ask a question. Sure these things have been asked before but there are new people on here all the time. It's how we all learn.
I also have a question that I am not sure if it is the right forum or not...I have seperated my different breeds of chickens. How long does the hen have to be with only her type of rooster to just have his influence in her eggs only?
In fact you will WANT to hold them a couple days to ensure their fertility... Store them around 45 degrees and rotate a minimum of twice a day. I personally hold mine for 5 and fertility is GREAT
I let my eggs sit in an egg turner on top of my cabnet incubator for up to a week. Down stairs I have a freestanding wood stove and it gets pretty warm up to 85. Doesn't seem to harm the eggs. Mike To anwser the other question on roo influence. You want to have you hen with your roo for no less than a month, then that roo should be the one influencing your hen. So...........30 days min. Mike
