How Long Will an Egg Stay viable at Room Temperature?

[LovelyBantam]

Title says all. How long will an egg stay viable at room temperature?

 

[groundpecker]

I have hatched an egg up to 18 days old, sitting at room temp. I recommend only hatching eggs 12 days and under, unless you are willing to suffer a great reduction on hatchrate.

 

[LovelyBantam]

Thanks for the reply! Something tells me I'm about to become a victim of chicken math.

 

[cluckitall]

LB, I'm fighting chicken math with all my strength. I've got a mixed flock of 8, one's too old to lay, the others are all giving me an average of 4-5 eggs a week. I'm setting eight eggs today to hatch out just a few more, counting on half being cockerels to be culled, so I'd only be adding another 3-4 hens to the troop. Plus I'm only 20 miles from Meyer Hatchery so it's REALLY tempting to drive up there and add a an Australorp, speckled Sussex, and Delaware or two to my motley crew (can you tell I want a broody?

). Oh, and maybe a cuckoo marans, since I have a big handsome CM roo who's definitely doing his job on fertilizing eggs! Then I could hatch out a few from the CM hen and have a mini CM flock...

It's deadly, I tell ya! And these girls right now are producing all the eggs I need, plus enough for my landlady and the occasional dozen to a friend here and there. But, see, I know they're going to slow down in winter, and it's not a young flock so I gotta think about replacements eventually, don't I? And Delawares are just SOOOO pretty, and and and and... Eek!

No experience with hatching out old eggs yet, but everything I've read so far has said with eggs 10 days and under, you should be fine!

 

[Jeanette56]

I've had turkeys lay up to 12 eggs outdoors, both in full sun and the eggs hatched fine. That means at the very least the first egg was 12+ days old when she began to set. Whatever you've got, give it a try. All you lose is some time and incubator space.

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

On the other hand. I've hatched eggs that were over a month old that had been kept at 55 degrees with no change in hatch rate. Just add some humidity during storage, like a pan of water, so the air cells don't get too big, FYI: These were eggs from my flock and not shipped eggs.

 

[LovelyBantam]

Thanks so much. I've got 10 more eggs I've added that are anywhere from 1-5 days old. Hopefully we weren't planning on eating them. Now I have to update my egg book.

I'm done. Hear me? Done... but what if my Silver Duckwing lays one...oh they're so pretty...

 

[3dqarrr]

Yeeh ive hatched eggs being weeks old You jus have to try whatever you got

 

[cluckitall]

LB, I have to say I find this site very comforting

I've always loved chickens, although this is the first time I've gotten to have any of my own. TOTALLY understand your temptation to set just...one...more!

 

[3dqarrr]

Yeeh same here ihave game chickens and laying chickens