URGENT can I salvage these eggs??

[chookchik]

I just lost all my chickens to a mink. But I have 4 fertilized eggs. I hadn't intended to hatch them because it's winter. I need to know if there is any hope for these eggs since they have been cold. The newest egg was laid yesterday and has been cold the least a mount of time.

What is my window to save them? What can I do to start incubating.

I really need some help here. If anyone can walk me through this it would mean so much to me. If there is anyone I can phone and talk to about this out there please PM me.

I'm kind of devastated about this.

Thanks

 

[conny63malies]

It cant hurt to try. Keep them cool and turn them a few times a day until you cant start incubating , which you should start asap.

 

[Sphinx]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost all of my hens a year ago to a family of raccoons and it was so hard.

If you have an incubator, just stick them in there and see what happens. I fell victim to my lack of impulse control and set eggs a couple weeks ago. I have a Brinsea Mini Advance that holds 7 eggs. I collected eggs from my legbar for a week, and only had 6. So, I got one out of the fridge and put it in the incubator as well. So, that 7th egg sat in my refrigerator for 8-10 days before being set. It's two weeks in, and all are wiggling around in there.

 

[SilkieSensation]

People have hatched eggs that have set in the fridge for 2 weeks or longer. Sometimes they do well, sometimes not. It's worth a try anyway. Not sure what kind of birds you had, but I have some eggs listed on the 24 hour auction thread. If you are interested in some you can PM me & I'll give you a discount to try to help you out.

 

[gabrielle1976]

Eggs can be good up to 10-14 days with less then 7 being ideal . People on here have hatched month old eggs or refridgerated eggs so there is no reason not to try go for it and you might get some chickens. Do you have an incubator?

 

[chookchik]

Is there an "embarrassed" emoticon?

I FOUND my chickens. I had jumped to the mink conclusion because last spring a mink had killed my ducks - I walked in on it - it was awful. Today when I was out doing chores I didn't see my chickens in any of their usual places and when I called they didn't answer (they usually say bwaaaaaaaak - when I call them). We looked all over the place (we live on 5 partially wooded, hilly acres). So I jumped to the mink conclusion.

Then later I went outside to put the garbage away and there waaaaay across our field and in the neighbor's wooded, ivy covered yard I see a bright orange blob. Sure enough it was my rooster and all 4 hens safe and well. I hope my neighbor doesn't find out - you should see what they did to his compost.

I am extremely relieved and touched by everyone's kindness. I am going to try to hatch their eggs, I have 4 silkie/cochin eggs that I am going to try to hatch - I (ahem) know for a fact that they are fertilized.

I've found the thread about people hatching grocery store eggs and this has given me huge hope. So since the eggs aren't even a week old yet maybe they'll hatch. I've turned them three times already.

Thanks again!

 

[Sphinx]

Don't be embarrassed!! I am so happy that they were off on an adventure. Good luck on your hatch.

 

[gothicangelnico]

I am so glad you found your girls! I personally lost my head roo before new years and am hoping to hatch his last babies from miss Molotov Cocktease. They are on day 14 and 15 so I hope they are ok. They haven't moved in a couple days and I hope they aren't dead or got hurt in my panic.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I'm so glad you found your birds! Having a few chicks growing out as back-ups is always a good idea (chicken math

) as you never know what might happen. I haven't had an empty bator or an empty brooder since about June. I currently have 7 juveniles between 8-14 weeks in the big brooder in the basement and 8 coturnix quail (2 at 9 days old & 6 at 24-48 hours old) in a plastic dresser drawer brooder in my bedroom. The 2 older ones have learned to hop out as of today so will be heading to the bigger wooden toybox brooder tomorrow as soon as I clean it out, put fresh bedding in & carry it up from the basement. It's a bit cold down there for the babies yet so my room will have to do for a while longer. I have a staggered hatch running in the bator in my room (quail & about 4-5 different breeds of chicks) & 49 Rainbow eggs set in the bator sitting on my daughter's dresser that were set on Monday this week. Once I confirm the majority of the Rainbow eggs are developing I'll be snagging another batch of them from the Amish farm up the road & firing up bator #3 to set them. I just moved & haven't located where the moving guys stashed bator #4 yet, but it will get filled soon enough as well.

Happy hatching! Just let me know if you have any more questions or need any help.