How long can a fertile egg live untill i put them in the incubator?

[Mark kim]

Hi the tittle says it all

 

[canada-goose]

About a week.

 

[Mark kim]

just 7 days?

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

I've seen threads here on BYC where eggs were pushing 20+ days and still hatched.

 

[BantyRooster]

Seven to ten days is best. I've hatched older eggs but the viability goes down quickly after that. Make sure you keep them turned at least once a day until they go in the bator.

 

[monita]

i have (accidentally) hatched eggs almost 2 months old but i wouldn't recomend keeping them around that long. as it has been mentioned they lose viability. these were my own hens eggs so i would not have been too stressed if they had not developed. shipped eggs i would make sure you put them in the bator as soon as possible especially since shipped eggs don't seem to have the greatest hatch rates anyway. sorry for rambling on like that ;p

 

[saladin]

Generally, viability doesn't go down much until after 2 weeks; however, how you keep them makes all the difference. The recommendation on the turning is a good one.

Here are a few other suggestions that will help them keep longer:

Keep them in a cool, dark place ( like a closet). (55 to 65 degrees F)
When in the egg carton, place the carton at an angle of about 35 degrees.
saladin