Help with making the right choice.

[Lucasstricker]

I have a 22 egg incubator. I'm going to try to incubate as many as I can. I just need some advice because it is winter and the temperature is usually between 25 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I have no other way of preserving eggs. I have close to 20 hens and 2 roosters. But I am only getting about three to five eggs a day. It would take me a week to collect enough eggs. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do.

 

[nuthatched]

You could stagger a hatch, put marked eggs in every few days bit they are tricky to do. Or wait until spring.

 

[BlueBaby]

I just told you what you can do in your other thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-with-incubation.1507578/#post-25295839

 

[Lucasstricker]

I just told you what you can do in your other thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-with-incubation.1507578/#post-25295839

So you would say they are okay to preserve for 7 days? The best I could do was put an ice pack on it and it would get around 60° on average.

 

[Huntmaster]

I have a 22 egg incubator. I'm going to try to incubate as many as I can. I just need some advice because it is winter and the temperature is usually between 25 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I have no other way of preserving eggs. I have close to 20 hens and 2 roosters. But I am only getting about three to five eggs a day. It would take me a week to collect enough eggs. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do.

I would collect eggs holding them until you get enough to fill your incubator. At 3 eggs per day, it would be 7 days until you have enough and less than that if you get more than 3 per day. Just keep eggs in cool area 50 to 55 degrees is best. With pointed end down in an egg carton tilted to one side and turning a couple times per day and you should be fine. I would not do a staggered hatch unless you have more than one incubator to use for lockdown. Staggered hatches just are asking for headaches and to many things to go wrong.

 

[Huntmaster]

So you would say they are okay to preserve for 7 days? The best I could do was put an ice pack on it and it would get around 60° on average.

Yes, they will be ok for the 7 or less days. But I wouldn't put ice pack on eggs, maybe put them in a cooler big enough to put ice pack in away from eggs to get temp in cooler down. And just let them slowly come to room temp before you put them in incubator.

 

[BlueBaby]

Yes, they will be ok for the 7 or less days. But I wouldn't put ice pack on eggs, maybe put them in a cooler big enough to put ice pack in away from eggs to get temp in cooler down. And just let them slowly come to room temp before you put them in incubator.

I was going to suggest what you just did, but you beat me to it.

 

[Lucasstricker]

I would collect eggs holding them until you get enough to fill your incubator. At 3 eggs per day, it would be 7 days until you have enough and less than that if you get more than 3 per day. Just keep eggs in cool area 50 to 55 degrees is best. With pointed end down in an egg carton tilted to one side and turning a couple times per day and you should be fine. I would not do a staggered hatch unless you have more than one incubator to use for lockdown. Staggered hatches just are asking for headaches and to many things to go wrong.

I haven't rotated them at all and they've been sitting for 4 days should I restart?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I haven't rotated them at all and they've been sitting for 4 days should I restart?

I think they should probably still be OK. Just put them pointy side down in a carton as others have described and collect the rest of your eggs. I’ve collected eggs for as long as 10 days with good results, but the viability goes down the longer you wait.

 

[Lucasstricker]

Thank you!

I think they should probably still be OK. Just put them pointy side down in a carton as others have described and collect the rest of your eggs. I’ve collected eggs for as long as 10 days with good results, but the viability goes down the longer you wait.