Refrigerated fertile eggs???

[flash5153]

Can they be hatched after being in refrigerator for a week or so??

 

[LuvMyBLR]

Quote:
No because before going into incubation the cells and VERY start of embryo building blocks are alive and should be stored at about 50F. But the fridge is just too cold.
That's what I've been told anyway.

 

[Nikkumz]

Yes they can be hatched still, you will just have a lower hatch rate. Try it and see, you should b able to tell after about 7-10 days if they are fertile and growing for sure.

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

I have heard of people using them and them hatching OK. I wouldn't, But I have access to fertile eggs, so I wouldn't need to.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Yes, they can be refrigerated. In fact unless they were shipped eggs most all of my hatching eggs are refrigerated on the top shelf of my refrigerator which stays in the 36-38 degree range. I typically get better than a 90% hatch rate on my chickens and 85% or better on my turkeys.

 

[rancher hicks]

At the ALBC conference Don Schrider said yes.

I would just put them on the counter to bring them up to room temp for a while and then give them a shot. You can never tell about these things. Plus some refridgerators aren't that cold or as cold as we'd like.

There's nothing like a good experiment. I did one with eggs stored pointy end up and pointy end down and guess what? They both hatched just fine, with the pointy ends down winning by just one egg per breed. I had three breeds in the incubator.

Rancher

 

[cmom]

A.T. Hagan :

Yes, they can be refrigerated. In fact unless they were shipped eggs most all of my hatching eggs are refrigerated on the top shelf of my refrigerator which stays in the 36-38 degree range. I typically get better than a 90% hatch rate on my chickens and 85% or better on my turkeys.

I agree.

Alan, my Pheasant eggs are hatching. There is a first time for everything...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Just be sure to let them warm up to room temperature before setting them under your broody hen!

I know that some folks have successfully hatched fertile eggs they've bought at stores like Trader Joe's, I bet those eggs have been kept refrigerated for a week or so.

This would be an interesting experiment to do, but you'd want to use a LOT of eggs, refrigerated and not, to get enough data to draw a definite conclusion. If refrigerating your hatching eggs is working for you then go ahead and don't mess with success. I can't trust my refrigerator to keep things at a constant temperature, it gets in a mood and freezes things every so often. I keep my eggs for hatching at room temperature, but I have hatched chicks from eggs that had been kept for a day or two in that refrigerator.

 

[flash5153]

I don't know the temp of my refrigerator but I am trying it. I have a chicken gone broody,,,and the only fertile eggs are some duck eggs I put in refrigerator a week ago. I can get any more fresh ones because she got killed by something last week,,,the only female.

They have been under broody chicken for a couple of days. I should be able to candle them in a week or so,,and see if the are forming.

I have asked this question before,,not on here,,,to people that have chickens I have met. And it seems ,,,,some say ,,YES and some say NO. Why is that??? Either it can be done or it can not be done. I believe that it can ,,,from the post above.

 

[flgardengirl]

I refrigerated marans pullet eggs last year because I didn't think the pullet eggs would hatch so I refrigerated her first 6 from one of my blue marans. Then someone said they would hatch, so I took them out and brought them up to room temp. 5 out of 6 hatched