Incubation question about timing

[alpacasandchicks78]

I'm not going to be doing this soon, we just had a major cull of roosters but my I had sat and thought about my bantams breeding. They lay about every other day. If I wanted to incubate them not doing one at a time, how long will the egg still remain viable after fertilization without being under a hen?? My d'uccles seldom go broody but are definitely being fertilized by their rooster.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I'm not going to be doing this soon, we just had a major cull of roosters but my I had sat and thought about my bantams breeding. They lay about every other day. If I wanted to incubate them not doing one at a time, how long will the egg still remain viable after fertilization without being under a hen?? My d'uccles seldom go broody but are definitely being fertilized by their rooster.

The fresher the eggs the better but I have successfully hatched eggs that were 2 1/2 weeks old. I’ve noticed viability goes down after two weeks. I keep mine refrigerated at about 48 to 50°. If you have a cool spot to store them in while you are collecting, 55 to 65° is ideal. They do need to be turned a few times a day while being collected and stored pointy side down in cartons works fine.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It depends. Each egg is different, some are just tougher than others. Some can lose viability faster than others when stored in the same conditions. It is not a case where every one is viable to a point and then none are. It can vary by egg. You are talking about averages.

Under ideal conditions most eggs can last two weeks and often more, just like the Lady said. The further they are from ideal conditions the faster they lose viability. So, what are some ideal conditions? Around 55 F (13 C) is considered pretty close to ideal. You don't want them to freeze, you don't want them above 80 F (27 C) though 80 is better than 85. You might still get a few to hatch but you are getting into dangerous territory. You want to try to keep the storage temperature consistent, cyclically warming up and cooling off is hard on them. You want them to be stored in high humidity. You want the humidity about as high as you can get it without condensation forming on the eggs. The longer they are stored and the lower the humidity the more moisture they lose before incubation starts. You don't want a breeze blowing on them, that sucks moisture out. They should be turned a few times a day. Not turning them doesn't mean that none will hatch, some will, but typically more will hatch if they are turned. If you can do all this storing for two weeks should work well.

I store mine at room temperature, the thermostat is set at either 72 F or 78 F (22 C or 26 C) depending on the time of the year. Humidity is often pretty low, especially in winter with the heat on. I do turn them. Even this far from ideal conditions I can store them for a full week and get good hatches.

You might try writing the date they are laid on them when you collect them and see if how old they are makes any real difference to your hatch rate. I've done that and did not see any difference in eggs that were just laid versus eggs that had been laid a week when I started incubating them. By a week I've always had all the eggs I need. See how much difference the length of time you store them in your conditions makes.

 

[alpacasandchicks78]

Thanks for the advice everyone. My living space is a basement walk out on the farm so the temp is naturally around 66-72 degrees. The humidity is around 40-60% depending on season (I've had to use dehumidifiers during the summer on humid, Stormy days so I am guessing I might have a decent set up if I choose to keep and hatch my mlle fleur eggs.