Storing Hatching Eggs

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Hi! I plan on incubating and hatching eggs late spring early summer but I'm not quite sure the best way to I guess turn them. I plan on storing the eggs for hatching at least for a week. But during that week, how should I turn or rotate them in an egg carton or such? Thanks for the advice!

 

[nchls school]

Hi! I plan on incubating and hatching eggs late spring early summer but I'm not quite sure the best way to I guess turn them. I plan on storing the eggs for hatching at least for a week. But during that week, how should I turn or rotate them in an egg carton or such? Thanks for the advice!

If there will be many eggs, I put them in a carton, put a block of wood under one end, then switch ends each day; in that way the carton sits at an angle that changes each day. Eggs should be stored in cool conditions, but I store mine at room temperature; about 75 degrees F.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I store mine in the drinks refrigerator at about 45° for up to two weeks. It’s a little cold but that’s the warmest setting the refrigerator has. I keep them in a carton pointy side down and just manually tilt them from side to side approximately three times a day. I have a good hatch rate.
I can’t keep mine at room temperature because during the summer especially this can be 85°.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Okay so if I could keep them at room temp just side to side rotation 3 times a day. Thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

during that week, how should I turn or rotate them in an egg carton or such?

A few different options. Do you have a turner that can be removed from the incubator? I take my turner out and put it on top of a dresser in the spare bedroom. Plug it in and it turns the eggs for me.

You can lay the eggs flat. I've done this a few times. Put a mark on each side so you can tell where opposite sides are. Some people use an "O" on one side and and "X" on the other. I number my eggs with "1" for the first laid and so forth. That way I can identify each individual egg when they start hatching. So I put a red number on one side and a black number on the other. When I turn them I just roll them over until the other mark or color is up.

If you want to keep the round side up you can put them in an egg carton and use a block of some type to raise one end, then take the block out when you turn them and put the block under the other end. You want the angle to be 45 degrees each time so they are going through a 90 degree turn when you do this. More angle won't hurt as long as they are stable.

Okay so if I could keep them at room temp just side to side rotation 3 times a day. Thanks!

Three times a day works. Some people do more. The general idea is to use an odd number of turns each day to try to balance out which side is up. You want each side up about the same length of time. With an odd number of turns you alternate which side spends the night up. I'm probably not explaining that too well. If the egg goes through the night with the "X" side up, when you get up turn the "O" side up. When you get home from work turn the "X" side back up. When you go to bed turn the "O" side back up. Over at two day period each side will spend the same amount of time up. At least close enough, you don't have to be perfect.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Do I need to turn these eggs side to side or is it from pointed end to large end etc in the carton? Thanks!

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

If ya'll have pictures to demonstrate that would be helpful. Thanks again!