How long can you hold eggs?

[Bettacreek]

Going to be transporting some button eggs and chicks this coming weekend. Problem being that the chicks have already started hatching and will be ready to pick up tomorrow, so I want to pick them up ASAP before they're sold as snake food, but, will the eggs be ok, or would the fertility drop?

Edit: Well, I guess I don't have to worry about these eggs, but I'm still curious as to how long you can hold onto button eggs and coturnix eggs (for future reference). Thanks guys!

 

[BirdBoy88]

Button eggs are good for about 10 days then the fertility drops on them

 

[shelleyd2008]

Personally, I have heard they are good for about 5 days. I actually have read it is best to let them sit for 5 days, then set them. How one is supposed to do that I don't know, but I make sure when I send eggs to someone, they are not older than 5 days when they arrive, provided the P.O. doesn't take forever to ship them!

 

[BirdBoy88]

yup i have read to 5 days is good..

i have hatched eggs with awesome hatch rate when eggs were 10 days old these were shipped eggs as well so i would say from 5 to 10 days

 

[shelleyd2008]

That's good to know. People are not liking the fact that I send like 10 eggs

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
haha, well atleast you care so if they dont get that that's their fault If you had a hundred laying a day then that's a diff story but iim sure you dont lol!

 

[Bettacreek]

Shelley, you just need to get more, lmfao. But, I don't see why anyone would throw a fit about that though. People are weird...

 

[citalk2much]

Button quail heaven had a hen lay 16 eggs and sit and hatch all 16 that had to mean 1 eggs was 16 days old.

 

[ButtonQuailHeaven]

Quote:
That is right and I have read they can be up to a month old and still hatch. Of course the viability is going to go way down by then but some still will hatch. If I am going to hatch them myself though I usually don't go much over 7 days for an optimum hatch.