How long can you collect eggs before incubating them?

[kbell]

Hi everyone,
I am getting 2-3 Serama eggs every other day and a couple Silkies eggs everyday. How long can I gather them up before putting them in the incubator? I don't want to let them go to waste and I don't want to keep opening the bator and adding them either. Thanks in advance on any suggestions or ideas. Kim from GA

 

[Mahonri]

I don't put eggs older than 10 days into the bator. Fertility goes down every day after that.

 

[deerman]

if stored in cool place 10 days with out any harm after that % of hatch will start dropping....but 2 weeks not bad. turn eggs once a day. stored with large end up, in carton . place carton one end higher, then turn 180 degree.

When i gather eggs for hatching i set eggs ones a week,

 

[knotty]

Forgive my ignorance, but I thought I had to collect the egg while it was still warm and put it directly into the incubator. Are you all saying that the egg can cool to room temp and still be viable?

 

[groundpecker]

Yes, eggs can cool to room temps and still be viable. I have hatched eggs up to 18 or so days old, but after day 10 the viability drops a few percent each day.

 

[free_loader]

Quote:
yep .. still viable .. that's how we are able to ship them to each other.. and in fact you can even successfully hatch eggs that have been refrigerated for a couple of weeks!

even the chickens give it a while before they "go broody" and sit on the eggs to hatch them.. and with good reason. If the chickens started sitting on the eggs as they layed them, they would all hatch on different days..but by waiting they incubate the whole bunch all at once so they all hatch on the same day... pretty smart for a chicken

 

[knotty]

Boy do I feel stupid.
I thought that because the temperature range was so critical in the incubator that the same rules applied to the eggs from the time that they were laid.
Truthfully, I've never really though about how they ship eggs. I knew that it happened, but never really gave it much thought.
Thank you so much for the information. It's going to make it a lot easier to start to incubate a few more eggs.
I had to kill my rooster yesterday because his crowing was disturbing the neighbors so I thought I would hang around my coop all day a grab the egg that my solitary and lonely little hen lays. Now I'll relax and just collect it later.

This leads me to another question: how long will the hen still be laying fertile eggs now that the rooster is gone?

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Sorry about your rooster

I store my hatching eggs in my wine refrigerator where the temp is around 55 degrees until I'm ready to put them in ther bator.

Your eggs could be fertile for several weeks after the rooster is gone. They usually say wait at least a month after you introduce a new roo to be sure that the old roo's seed is gone.

 

[knotty]

Thank you. That's great news.

 

[knotty]

Okay, this is the last stupid question of the day. I promise.
Would it be possible to take the new chick, Shilo, who is one week old today and put her with her mother now that the hen is alone. Would the hen appreciate the companionship or is it more likely that she would kill it.
The hen does seem really lonely today.