Incubating Eggs question

[AmyLynn2374]

Maybe I'll just wait and get all the eggs Im gonna hatch and put them in at once

Personal opinion, that's the best way to do it.x

I wouldn't believe that about the 30 day old eggs. 10 days is about max.


Pullet eggs are best not incubated because they're too small. Not enough room or nutrition for healthy chicks. Best to sit on your hands until the eggs are bigger.

x's 2.

"They" say up to ten days is the best and when you hit 2 weeks the hatch rate decreases signficantly. Lots of people won't incubate eggs over a week. I've never incubated eggs older than 11/12 days.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Right. I've never had eggs over 10 days hatch.

I think I'll do a test run with older eggs this spring using the wrap and pre-incubation thing.

 

[WinterChicks]

I wouldn't believe that about the 30 day old eggs. 10 days is about max.

You can extend the time if you wrap the eggs in plastic wrap after you collect to retain moisture. Also, a short pre-incubation period can extend the viable life of hatching eggs.
Turning in storage and ideal storage temperature are also important. 55-65F is best.

Good luck to you young'un.

Pullet eggs are best not incubated because they're too small. Not enough room or nutrition for healthy chicks. Best to sit on your hands until the eggs are bigger.

My banty has been laying for about a week so I thought it would be okay to try hers.

What is pre- incubation? Can you explain that?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

This best explains pre-storage incubation.
http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/80/10/1406.short

The problem with pullet eggs is simply the small egg.
Mammals can expand the abdomen and pull more nutrients for developing embryo.
Egg layers can't do that. Once an egg is formed, nutrition and space are finite. For that matter, it's best to not incubate pullet eggs. There's insufficient space nor nutrition for the highest quality chicks.

 

[WinterChicks]

This best explains pre-storage incubation.
http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/80/10/1406.short

The problem with pullet eggs is simply the small egg.
Mammals can expand the abdomen and pull more nutrients for developing embryo.
Egg layers can't do that. Once an egg is formed, nutrition and space are finite. For that matter, it's best to not incubate pullet eggs. There's insufficient space nor nutrition for the highest quality chicks.

I can't wait though!

So how long should I wait?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can incubate now but for the benefit of the future chicks, wait till the eggs are normal size.

 

[WinterChicks]

You can incubate now but for the benefit of the future chicks, wait till the eggs are normal size.

I still don't understand the pre incubation- that thing is waaayyyy to confusing

lol

So I can start collecting now? I mean, they will get bigger everyday-unless she is already laying normal size.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It says that eggs that are going to be stored long term (up to 14 days) stay vital if incubated for 6 hours pre storage.

If I were you. I'd test it myself. Hatch two batches. Incubate one batch of perhaps 8 or 10 eggs of the pullet size eggs. Then wait a month, hatch an equal number that were stored the same period of time under the same conditions.
Weigh all the chicks when they hatch and keep records of growth rate and vigor as they mature. Make sure they're all raised identically, feed, water, temperature, etc..
My guess is that the chicks from the second batch will be better quality.
Then you'll have taught yourself what to do in the future from personal experience.

 

[WinterChicks]

It says that eggs that are going to be stored long term (up to 14 days) stay vital if incubated for 6 hours pre storage.

If I were you. I'd test it myself. Hatch two batches. Incubate one batch of perhaps 8 or 10 eggs of the pullet size eggs. Then wait a month, hatch an equal number that were stored the same period of time under the same conditions.
Weigh all the chicks when they hatch and keep records of growth rate and vigor as they mature. Make sure they're all raised identically, feed, water, temperature, etc..
My guess is that the chicks from the second batch will be better quality.
Then you'll have taught yourself what to do in the future from personal experience.

Cool! I might do your idea! 8 eggs probably!

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I love that idea...but I am a young girl and only have $30 and am spending $20 on rabbits tommorow..Mmaybe in the future.

I have heard people have high hatch rates with month old eggs, that is what someone said. I hope my other bantam starts laying soon so egg collection will be faster.

Thanks for the help!

You might have read one of my posts saying that. I've posted about hatching 3-4 week old eggs. I wasn't saying it was ok to do that, it was an "in my experience" type of thing when people asked how long an egg was good.
Years ago I had a small flock of 5 hens that each layed an egg about every 2-3 days so I couldn't be picky about the eggs I kept for hatching.
What I did was at the end of the week mark the dozen or so eggs with a black sharpie and leave them in the nest boxes. I didn't store them inside, fat end up at a controlled temperature turning them 4 times a day, I just left them in the nests. At the end of the next week I marked the new ones with a blue sharpie. The next week I used a red sharpie. The next week I would toss the oldest batch. That way I always had about 30-40 eggs on hand if a hen or 2 or 3 went broody.
The hatch rate on the older eggs was poor but I was able to hatch out about 100 chicks the first year.
BUT, I found the older eggs produced chicks that lacked vigor and the ability to thrive. They were the ones that got about half grown then dropped dead for no apparent reason or got weak & sick then died. My un-scientific observation couldn't say for a certainity whether the high mortality rate was genetic, weather related, or due to the old eggs but I highly suspect the old eggs produced inferior chicks.
The next year I started using an incubator instead of depending on when a hen went broody. Both my hatch rate and survival rate increased.
I just hatched a batch in 2 incubators last week with the oldest eggs being 13 days old. Looking at the unhatched eggs left in the bator tells me the 1-9 day old eggs had the highest hatch rate.
I try to make 10 days my max for keeping eggs to get the best hatch rate & vigor.