I'm sure that we all have our various methods for collecting and storing fertile eggs, so I thought I'd share mine since breeding season is upon me and I'm now getting fertile eggs (hopefully).
I have two nesting boxes, one box is for fertile eggs (there is a cockerel in that pen) and one box is for non-fertile eating eggs. I collect all of the eggs twice daily when the weather is not good (cold or hot) and once a day when the weather is perfect (not very often).
I put my fertile eggs in a Styrofoam egg carton, this helps them cool down/heat up to 70* slowly. I start from the right and fill to the left. I usually have to use two cartons for each week. I mark the eggs with a 1-7 so I know which day they were collected. If I'm not setting yet (either under a broody or in the incubator) I remove the #1 eggs after 7 days and put them back with the eating eggs...they are still good to eat, but I only set eggs that are 10 days old or less. By the time I let the #7 eggs cool down/warm up for 24 hours, the oldest eggs are 8 days old. The replacement eggs that are replacing the old #1s are marked with a 1 (since I do this every day, every week the #1 is for the same day each week, in my case Sunday). If I'm shipping eggs, I only ship eggs that are 5 days old or less.
This method of collecting and keeping eggs keeps me with a supply of fertile eggs all of the time. Even when I'm not planning on hatching, I keep the fertile eggs separated so that I have them in case of emergency. I've sort of learned this the hard way......
Anyway, I think hatching success first starts with breeding success and egg selection. It is fun to just let the broody sit on whatever she has collected, but it is also a lot of fun to collect the eggs yourself and determine which ones you want to try to hatch (either naturally or in an incubator). Depending on what you are breeding and what your ultimate goal is, egg selection and collection can be a critical part of your program.
Just wanted to share.
Thanks for that.
I do something similar. Right now it takes about 2 cartons every day. I fill from bottom left and leave a space between flocks so I can determine the cock sire.
Keeping nests clean is imperative. Very difficult in muddy weather like right now when all the snow is melting.
I either date the cartons or if I know they're getting shipped or incubated, I date each egg including the rooster number. If I catch a hen laying an egg, it gets the hen number too.
Hopefully soon, I'll be trap nesting and can identify both parents. Eventually, I want to do that for all chicks.
I have 4 nesting boxes... of course they're all crammed in one... do I tell them they're sitting on nothing??? 
I have some favorelle eggs coming sometime soon, we'll see if they arrive while I still have some girls thinking they need to brood.... 
