Incubation Experiment with 5 week old eggs

[Livinwright Farm]

Here is the thread for all of you who are just as curious as to how well 5 week old eggs will develop & hatch as I am.
They are barnyard mutt eggs. And I will post with each candling to share the results. These eggs are guaranteed to be fertile eggs, as I only had 12 hens and 2 roosters when they were laid.
I am doing a dry hatch with them, the temp will be 101.0 -102.0*F. Humidity will be raised on day 18 just prior to lockdown to no less than 63%rh and no more than 68%rh.
I am starting with 20 eggs, and will be turning them 3 times per day 8 AM, 4pm, 12-midnight. I can't wait to show my 8yr old niece the veining in the eggs this next week!

 

[88Haywood88]

Good luck, I'm curious to see how they turn out.

 

[thebirdguy]

I'm very interested in seeing how these turn out.. I also am planning a similar experiment only I am going to heat treat some eggs (basically incubate them for 12 hours) and then store them.. The heat treatment is supposed to make the eggs more stable for storage and shipping and increase hatchability after storage or shipping.. we'll see...

 

[silkiechicken]

They may or may not still be viable depending on how they were stored. We were able to hatch eggs from those stored in "ideal" conditions that were a month old and shipped. There was a lab fridge designed and maintained for that purpose.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

These 20 eggs have been in my 50*F basement for 5 weeks, getting "turned" once per day. I know most say that I will probably not see any psitive results, but that is exactly why I am conducting this experiment. ^_^

 

[thebirdguy]

Can't be any worse that shipped eggs.. Did you see the ones Steve got?

 

[Livinwright Farm]

Quote:
Yes, I am also posting to Steve's "The Will They Hatch Thread".

 

[mothergoose]

It is amazing what some eggs can go through and still hatch. I shipped some welsummer eggs a few years ago to a fellow byc'er from here in Illinois to California. They were wrapped very well, but the PO had played soccer with the box I think. They shipment was delayed along the way and finally the recipent got a call from the PO and said there was a package he needed to come down because it was in quaranteen. The box had been kicked around so bad it was oozing out the bottom and they thought it was hazzardous so they locked it in a sealed metal box. By the time he got there to get it they told him to just take it because it was stinking up the whole place. He took the box, put it in the car and only got down the road a little ways and had to pull over and get the box out of the car, the smell was so bad. He sat along side the road and opened the box and sorted through all the goo and stench to see if any eggs were still in one piece. I had sent like 18 eggs...he found 4 eggs that were still whole. He took those eggs home unwrapped them, washed them off and set those 4 eggs...he hatched 4 pullets out of those 4 eggs. He was totally thrilled and loves his wellie girls too!

So don't count them out yet!
Christie

 

[Livinwright Farm]

Quote:
Oh my! It seems like the PO only hires people who think "FRAGILE- HANDLE WITH CARE" means "By all means, please destroy to the best of your ability".
I am actually counting on a minimum a hatch rate of 55%... that is what I got from my 2 week old eggs. I will be doing everything in my power to ensure that these little darlings develop and hatch out successfully!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I would guess at 5 weeks around 3 will hatch.