Minnesota!

[Drea07]

I have a question about hatching. Not even close to being able to hatch anything at the moment...except a plan. I have read a couple posts on BYC where people have put fertilized eggs in the refrigerator or hold them for a week or more, so when the eggs go in the incubator they are all timed the same and not staggered. Ever since reading those posts, my question/s has been bugging me.

Are you able to put them in the refrigerator before the incubator?? Wouldn't that hurt the egg? If you can't, how is it eggs are able to be held for a week or more before going to an incubator??

I always thought that if an egg got too cold....it wouldn't be able to hatch......

I'm completely confused...help...please..

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I don't have an incubator, I've never hatched with an incubator. But I've collected eggs for somebody that has done it and the eggs were successful.

I wash my hands or use clean mittens to collect the eggs out of clean nests. If there is a smudge of poo on the egg I do not wash it off. I put them in an egg carton which rests on a book or a scrap board piece to elevate one end of the carton. That carton gets shifted every day back and forth 2-3 x daily so the air sack doesn't get "stuck" or whatever. I usually collect no longer than a week. The eggs are kept in my basement (cooler area).

I've heard that there is success after refrigeration as well. but If the eggs are older than a week and they haven't been "shifted" side to side or "rocked" then there becomes more difficulty with the valuable air sack.

That's all I know and my two cents only. Minniechickmomma does a ton of hatching and would probably have good notes on refrigeration...etc.

 

[duluthralphie]

BogtownChick I am in shock?

You are allowed to operate a remote? I thought they were manufactured with a safe guard so they would only work if a person had an X and a Y chromosome.


I do not understand why a person would refrigerate eggs. The " to have them hatch all at the same time" makes little sense to me. The eggs are fertilized but are not a developing embryo until they are exposed to the heat of incubation.

I have a turner for an incubator that sits on the pass through from the kitchen to the dining room. ( BTW I sometimes get the feeling my wife is not crazy about it being there) I put the eggs I plan to incubate in/on the turner so they are constantly moving. When I get a group of 6-12 or so eggs I want to hatch I move them to the incubator. Just because an egg is laid today and another two weeks ago will not mean the will hatch two weeks apart.

I would fear the fridge would chill the egg too much. Birds lay eggs in 80 degree weather and do not sit on them for a week or more. The still hatch.

I have heard of refrigerated eggs hatching. I know people buy eggs at trader joes and hatch them. I would think the cold would diminish the hatch rate, but I could be all wrong on that too. It is just more of a gut feeling than knowledge.

I just brought my birds the table scraps, I find it amazing how far away they can be and how fast they will run to me when I have that orange bowl in my hand..



I agree, Minnie would most likely know the straight poop..

 

[Drea07]

I don't have an incubator, I've never hatched with an incubator. But I've collected eggs for somebody that has done it and the eggs were successful.

I wash my hands or use clean mittens to collect the eggs out of clean nests. If there is a smudge of poo on the egg I do not wash it off. I put them in an egg carton which rests on a book or a scrap board piece to elevate one end of the carton. That carton gets shifted every day back and forth 2-3 x daily so the air sack doesn't get "stuck" or whatever. I usually collect no longer than a week. The eggs are kept in my basement (cooler area).

I've heard that there is success after refrigeration as well. but If the eggs are older than a week and they haven't been "shifted" side to side or "rocked" then there becomes more difficulty with the valuable air sack.

That's all I know and my two cents only. Minniechickmomma does a ton of hatching and would probably have good notes on refrigeration...etc.

Well that's interesting. I would have never guessed they could be held that long as long as they are "shifted". I would have chickens and ducks in all stages of hatching, thinking they could not be held for a bit.

 

[AmericanKraut]

I have a question wondering if anyone could answer:
I ordered my day old chicks from Mcmurray.  I was looking at the 4 weeks olds to possibly add to my current chicks since they would be about the same age.  Probably won't but still looking.  My question is this: In the description for the 4 weekers on Mcmurray it says They are vaccinated for Mareks, Coccidiosis, Newcastle and Bronchitis.  If my chicks are not vaccinated for these and the new ones are, am I putting my chicks at risk for any of these diseases from the new chicks?

I don't think so. I think McMurray will be a safe buy and give all the vax, even more so. I had heard some places were starting to add some of those. I think the greatest risk is poultry from local farms coming in and other avians in the area but I could be wrong. You may want to still quarantine them separately from your other batch for awhile. It should show if there's signs of icky festering.

 

[AmericanKraut]

Yay I finally downloaded the backyardchickens app for my phone so I thought I'd share a couple of my babies.

App?? Oooh! I just went and downloaded! I had saved the site to my iphone as a button but an app is way better! Thank you!!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

TGIF-B-F

Thank God It's Fluffy Butt Friday!

 

[lalaland]

I have a question about hatching. Not even close to being able to hatch anything at the moment...except a plan. I have read a couple posts on BYC where people have put fertilized eggs in the refrigerator or hold them for a week or more, so when the eggs go in the incubator they are all timed the same and not staggered. Ever since reading those posts, my question/s has been bugging me.

Are you able to put them in the refrigerator before the incubator?? Wouldn't that hurt the egg? If you can't, how is it eggs are able to be held for a week or more before going to an incubator??

I always thought that if an egg got too cold....it wouldn't be able to hatch......

I'm completely confused...help...please..

I'm thinking they are collecting eggs, and when they have all the ones they want to incubate, then they put them in the bator. I know some who refrigerate eggs before incubation and most don't. I have no idea about comparative success rates, but I would agree that I would think your hatch rate would be better without refrigeration. But there are sooo many factors in a successful hatch. I've only used broodies!

It is the continued warmth from the broody or the incubator that starts the development of the embryo. So, room temp is not enough to trigger it.

 

[Cyrus83]

Its amazing how good chickens are at hatching eggs!!! who woulda thunk??

 

[duluthralphie]

Time for Ralphie's dumb question of the day::


I just read Guineas mate with chickens, is this true?

Have any of you seen it?

Do they make a hybrid chick?

Is it viable?






And I keep reading about neighbors not wanting chicken owners to have roosters, so...

Who does not like the sound of a rooster crowing? I find it peaceful and nostalgic, I Wish my roosters crowed more.