how/where to store eggs before putting them in the incubator

[memal]

Got a incubator for christmas

and i havent incubated eggs since i was a kid. I have some wonderful cochin hens that have doing the incubating for me for years. So i am unsure of a few things , sorry if these are dumb questions but i want to do it right, i live in north east pa so its been cold , if i collect the fertile eggs daily , How and where do i store them until i have enough to put in the incubator? i am only going to try to incubat my silkie and frizzle eggs so i am collecting about 2 eggs a day from them , And i only want to try to incubate about 10-12 .The eggs are cold when i collect them, so do i collect them and bring them into the house and allow them to come to room temp or keep the cold until i have enough , and how long can i keep them before putting them in the incubator? thanks in advance for any advice

 

[Barred Rocker]

You're going to want to let them set big end up at room temperature for at least a day. Don't worry about the cold, I hatched 7 out of 8 chicks from eggs that were in the fridge for over a week. Just store them in an egg carton somewhere out of the way and they'll be fine until you have enough.

 

[kathyinmo]

It is recommended to store the eggs for hatching at 55 - 65* . You could collect them for a week or even 10 days, and try it. The fresher they are, of course, the more likely they are to hatch.

 

[swheat]

I store my eggs on hova-bator egg turners and in cool dark place , I usually keep eggs that I want to set for about a week..some get hatches from eggs older than that.

 

[todd walker]

Guy I bought my chicks from keeps his eggs in a wine cooler,say it is the best way to keep eggs at the right temp.

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
Interesting. Makes sense.

 

[rosco]

Quote:
agreed.

turn while storing eggs. it is hard to imagine they are alive. if you bring them to room temp and room temp is, i think it is 72F, i think hatch rate plummets.

 

[memal]

Thanks for the answers, i have them stored in a egg carton in a cool place, im sure i will have more questions as i put them in the bator. thanks again

 

[SilkieTime]

Thank you for asking.

 

[Intheswamp]

It is not mentioned very often, but many extension services and universities recommend humidity levels during the storage of hatching eggs to be in the 75% range. I don't think too many folks worry about this and there still seems to be many good hatches. Ed

Here is a snippet from the Mississippi State University Extension Service :

Hatching Egg Storage

It may not be practical to place the eggs in an incubator immediately after collection. If you hold eggs for several days, keep them in a cool, humid room. The best storage conditions are near 60 °F. and 75 percent humidity. The temperature should not drop below 40 °F. or hatchability will be reduced. The cool temperature delays embryonic growth until incubation begins, and the high humidity prevents moisture loss. Humidity is best measured with a device called a psychrometer. The table shows the relationship between wet bulb readings and relative humidity at storage temperatures.

<table snipped out>

Incubate eggs as soon as convenient. The hatchability of eggs stored for less than seven to 10 days remains high with proper storage conditions. Eggs held longer experience reduced hatches. After three weeks of storage, the hatchability is near zero percent.

If the eggs are not incubated within three or four days, turn them daily. Turning the eggs prevents the yolks from touching the shell and injuring the embryo. Store the eggs with small ends down and slanted at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees. Large numbers of eggs can be stored in egg flats and cases with one end of the case elevated to give the proper slant. Turn the eggs by elevating alternate ends of the case or flat each day.

The eggs should warm slowly before being placed in the incubator. The shock of warming the eggs too rapidly will cause moisture to condense on the shell. This may lead to disease problems.