time to get eggs into incubator

[austindon]

How quickly must eggs go from the nest to the incubator? If they have been outside all day in cooler temperature and are not warm to the touch, are they still okay for incubating? Is there a rule of thumb? Thanks.

 

[Duckopolis]

You will need to incubate them for about 21 days. The temp should be at 99.5 degrees FAHRENHEIT. For chickens, the humidity should be around 45 to 55%. It doesn't matter AS much as the temp. If you want to spray your eggs, start at day seven and stop at day eighteen. The results of spraying are interesting as more moisture is lost from the egg. An egg should lose about 14% of its weight from when it was first put in the incubator. Misting the eggs changes the membrane a little bit so that more moisture is lost; it is good if you have a higher humidity. 60 degrees is the ideal holding temperature for eggs. they can be stored for 7 days with no problems. After that, the hatchability declines rapidly. When they hatch, leave them in the incubator for at least 6-8 hours or until they are dry. Don't let your curiosity ruin your hatch by opening up the incubator. If they were under 40 degrees, their hatchability is reduced. I hope this helps!

 

[austindon]

Thanks. But my question was if they have been outside too long in the nest, are they still okay to put in the incubator? I just saw a link to Brinsea that said getting them within 24 hours to the incubator is fine, maybe even longer. Also it said that you can store them in temps from 59 - 69 degrees faren before incubating. I find that interesting since it seem that they should be at the 98 degrees as soon as possible. Nice to know that this cushion in there.

 

[lazy gardener]

Duckopolis, are you talking about hatching duck eggs?

Austindon: If you are incubating chicken eggs, you can hold them in the house for 7 days or more before putting them in the incubator. They should never go in the incubator when they are cold. The standard is to store them with the big end up, with the ideal temp being 55 - 65 degrees. A lot of people put them in an egg carton, and tilt the carton by propping the end on a book or two, alternating ends 2 times/day. Do some reading on dry hatch. Many hatchers are having excellent results by decreasing the humidity for days 1 - 18 for CHICKEN eggs, then increasing it to 65% during the last 3 days. I can't speak to the practice of misting eggs, and have not heard of other hatchers doing it to chicken eggs.

It won't matter that your eggs have gotten cold in the nest before you bring them in to incubate them, as long as they haven't frozen.

 

[Duckopolis]

If your temperatures haven't fallen under 40 degrees outside, they should be fine.