I'm collecting hatching eggs to sell for the first time and I need to know how many days worth of eggs I can collect before I should sell them? I'm selling them locally so they're going straight in the incubator
If it was for my own use I would use any up to 2 weeks old. Most 'experts' recommend eggs no older than 10 days. BYC folks recommend even fewer days - 5 at the most. You have to use your own judgement on what is too old. Also if you are charging a premium for pure bred I'd expect pretty darn fresh eggs, barnyard mixes for cheap - maybe not so much. Good Luck!
Studies have shown that after 14 days is the point that eggs kept in a cool room start to become to old very quickly. Hatch rates are higher though by a small amount for every day sooner you can set them.
Lots of people will say don't ever go over 10 days or 5 days whatever.......If you store them in a really cool place, they could go for about 2 weeks. Allot of people hatch fertile eggs from the fridge isle at Trader Joe's and manage to hatch 11/12 eggs! And those eggs have to go through allot of shipping etc.Look up Trader Joe eggs on the forum and see what comes up.
When I sell eggs for hatching they are at the most 4 days old. I always try and date my eggs with a pencil so I know how old they are. When I'm useing them for my own bator... Well I've hatched out chicks from 2 week old eggs before.
I sell Barred Plymouth Rock hatching eggs and I will not take an order for hatching eggs that I cannot 'fill' within 4 days because I want the eggs I sell to have the best rates of hatch possible. I also make sure the eggs are stored pointed side down in a cool non-drafty place and I change the position of the eggs every 6 - 8 hours from the time I get them from the nest until order pickup so the embryo does not adhere to the side of the egg. I have received very positive feedback from everyone who has incubated the hatching eggs I've sold them as they have all reported a 95 to 100% hatchout rate which is much higher than the average so I must be 'doing something right' and while I'm patting myself on the back I suppose I do need to give my two roosters some of the credit too! lol
I've been doing just what you do. I put them in an egg carton pointy end down with one side of the carton slightly elevated. I turn them a couple of times a day. I'm selling them to a friend and I can't wait to see what the chicks turn out like, I haven't hatched any of my own eggs before. Is the fertility of pullets/cockerel eggs comparable to that of mature birds or is it somewhat reduced? My cockerels are about 23 wks old and they're doing their thing with the pullets, they just don't seem to mate my 1+ yr old hens. edited for typo
I've hatched them up to 21 days old. If a hen lays a clutch of 21 eggs it will take her at least 21 days. So we know that at least one egg is 21 days old. I've done it and they can hatch.
