How old can eggs be before you set them?

[nittanyxi]

I just purchased eggs on ebay today 3/21/13. They will be shipped tomorrow and get here just before Easter. I'm going out of town for Easter Weekend and I won't be around to make sure nothing goes wrong with the temp setting of the incubator.

Would it be a really bad idea to wait until 4/1/13 to set them?

 

[gingerly1983]

I think you're cutting it a little too close. The fertility is going to decrease quite a bit before you get to set them. If you bought them today, then it's safe to assume they are probably at least a day old already. So if you set them on April 1st, they're gonna be about 13 days old. Add that to the fact that they are shipped eggs and it's real 'iffy' for your hatch. That's just my opinion though. :/