Preserving Eggs?

[yanks26]

Just out of curiousity, how long can eggs last and still be hatched before they go bad? I plan on going down the road and picking up some fertile eggs right out of the nest. Now once I pick them up, can I leave them in an egg carton for a while at room temp and then incubate them? What are the rules for this kind of preservation and "expiration date"?

 

[Teach97]

about a week...rock them once or twice a day

 

[yanks26]

Then how do they survive in the mail? And what do you mean by "rock them"?

 

[Teach97]

Typically in the mail can be dangerous...you loose many...sometimes...to make mailing work you have ship them within a couple days of hatching...priority mail tham...2- 3 days...rest them 1 day...should be a max of about a week

rock...tilt them left....then tilt them right...tilt them left...then right...just like you would an egg in the incubator...store them point down

 

[yanks26]

Ok so I store them point down. But when I put them in the incubator I place them point up right?

 

[Teach97]

nope...point down always

 

[OPIE]

I have some eggs I have been stacking up for about a week now, someof them are almost purfectly oval shaped, how do I know which way is "pointed" on those?

 

[Teach97]

flip a coin...I have had that issue before myself...you just have to pick and if it frustrates you too much...cook it!

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Sometimes my Marans eggs are so round it's hard to tell the big from the little end so I usually candle them to see if I can see the air cell. If I can't, I incubate them about a week on their sides and the re-candle. By that time you should be able to see the air cell better.

 

[magsrags]

Quote:
I'd lay those on their sides.