How long can I keep fertilized eggs in the fridge?

[naf_appaz]

"Room temperature" is pretty vague range depending on where you live...In the deep south if your trying to keep the AC bill to a minimum it maybe 80 degrees in your room and vice a versa if you live in a cold area. I believe 55 to 60 is ideal from my experience, if you need to wait. Regardless ASAP is better in any case

 

[Wendy12]

As I understand, the longer you keep fertilized eggs, the lower your hatch rate. And it goes by the day, not the week/ month.

I think you may either need to keep your roo until Spring (maybe separate him until the hens grow their feathers back) or buy fertilized eggs in the spring.

 

[Wendy12]

I heard if u refrigerate eggs they loss the fertility. In the UK the keep there eggs out in a basket for 3 wks. Its just what i read

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Thanks! I just wish I knew how long they would keep.

Eggs will "KEEP" for 6 months or longer in the fridge but any egg stored in the fridge long enough to reach an internal temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or 5 degrees Celsius will NEVER hatch.

When eggs are stored UNDER PERFECT conditions with an eye to hatching chicks, after 2 weeks or only 14 days just one egg in two aged 14 days will hatch on average. If the eggs are 3 weeks or more post lay NONE of those eggs will hatch or produce healthy chicks. After 7 days egg viability starts falling off rapidly.

 

[Michelle Guynn]

I’ve heard people say they hatched eggs that were all of the above. Kept in the fridge, over 14 days old etc. I think there is no right answer to this. All you can do is try and if they don’t develop they don’t. I’m putting 7 in my incubator on Thursday with the oldest being 12 days old kept on my kitchen counter. We shall see.

 

[boz]

I started collecting eggs my hen went on strike.

wow you have union hens so I am guessing they wanted my corn and treats in there contract lol

 

[Ginmary]

I am expecting fertile eggs in the mail today but the incubator is not arriving until Saturday. I really wanted to get the incubator sooner so I could have checked it out. Thankfully it is only 3 days. So, I should keep the eggs in a cool place with the pointy side down until I can get them in the incubator?

 

[Michelle Guynn]

Yes