The 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatch-a-long!

[jessicaagross]

So, it still freezing here during the day, how cold can eggs get before they aren't viable? Sorry if these questions should have been looked up somewhere else.

And I've read that some people collect and save eggs up to 2 weeks before setting them, is this a normal practice? Or should I only use ones that are a day or two old?

THANKS!!!

 

[chickee]

So, it still freezing here during the day, how cold can eggs get before they aren't viable? Sorry if these questions should have been looked up somewhere else.

And I've read that some people collect and save eggs up to 2 weeks before setting them, is this a normal practice? Or should I only use ones that are a day or two old?

THANKS!!!

I don't know the answer to how cold the eggs can get, but I will only set eggs that are up to 7 days old. They do the best if stored at 65 degrees and turned daily.

 

[ronott1]

So, it still freezing here during the day, how cold can eggs get before they aren't viable? Sorry if these questions should have been looked up somewhere else.

And I've read that some people collect and save eggs up to 2 weeks before setting them, is this a normal practice? Or should I only use ones that are a day or two old?

THANKS!!!

As long as they do not get cold enough to freeze and crack they will be fine. Cold does not kill hem like heat will. If you suspect that an egg has been frozen, candle to see if there are any cracks.

Added: Collect enough to hatch up to 15 days and you will have a good chance of getting a good hatch. If you can collect enough to hatch in a couple of days then go for it!(Won't change the hatch rate much though).

 

[ShelbyCoral]

I cant keep any eggs! My eggs keep freezing... My sebbies eggs are freezing to! 1 even blew up! its all over the wall of my barn!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

I cant keep any eggs! My eggs keep freezing... My sebbies eggs are freezing to! 1 even blew up! its all over the wall of my barn!

What if you put a heating pad on very low in the nestbox?

 

[jessicaagross]

I don't know the answer to how cold the eggs can get, but I will only set eggs that are up to 7 days old. They do the best if stored at 65 degrees and turned daily.

As long as they do not get cold enough to freeze and crack they will be fine. Cold does not kill hem like heat will. If you suspect that an egg has been frozen, candle to see if there are any cracks.

Added: Collect enough to hatch up to 15 days and you will have a good chance of getting a good hatch. If you can collect enough to hatch in a couple of days then go for it!(Won't change the hatch rate much though).

Thank you both for the help!

 

[Cynthia12]

Hatch rates will be lower for eggs older than 2 weeks. Shipped eggs should not be older than 7 days because of the added stress from shipping.

Older eggs will still hatch--I would not set eggs older than 30 days and if I did I would watch them very closely for rotting.

Thank you ron for this information!

 

[chicken pickin]

So, it still freezing here during the day, how cold can eggs get before they aren't viable? Sorry if these questions should have been looked up somewhere else.

And I've read that some people collect and save eggs up to 2 weeks before setting them, is this a normal practice? Or should I only use ones that are a day or two old?

THANKS!!!

For me as long as they aren't cracked I use them, Im sure some will loose viability once froze but it doesn't hurt to try.

For customers I would not give those very cold eggs, I only collect eggs that were still warmish to the touch, maybe even the ones that are barely cold, never the COLD eggs.

I typically store for up to 10 days and still get great hatches, this is a typical practice for most, some even save for 14 days or longer but the viability starts to go down after 14 days, that is why I stick to around 10 days for collection.

 

[chicken pickin]

Good Morning Everone! Happy Friday! This is the last day of school for the kids and then they start WINTER VACATION from school.
This is them

lol
and then they think about it and go, But we are gonna be bored what are we gonna do allllllll week long? then this is them

lol.

 

[gevshiba]

Good Morning Everone! Happy Friday! This is the last day of school for the kids and then they start WINTER VACATION from school.
This is them

lol
and then they think about it and go, But we are gonna be bored what are we gonna do allllllll week long? then this is them

lol.

It's been a long time since I was in school, but I never complained about a vacation. I was rarely bored, but even if I was, it was better than school.