My Silkies are broody. One is sitting and one isn't yet. I have a Silkie that started laying eggs and I was taking each away to eat each day as it was laid. Then she started brooding nothng. On the Eastern Shore of VA I thought it would still be too cold for them to hatch. Yesterday another Silkie started laying and I gave the 1 egg to the other hen to sit on. My question is...how cold can a freshly laid egg get and still be viable? If the chicken isn't broody won't those eggs get too cold? We have some nice days in the 60's but today it is snowing. Won't those eggs "die"? I am wondering if I take the fresh eggs the day they are laid are moved them to the broody hen, would they get too cold before I collect eggs and move that one to the other hen??? When do you start setting eggs in an incubator. If I were to put some in there now and apx 3 weeks to hatch, then a few weeks to be in the garage under lamps, Then outside...when should I start setting them? Where do you keep your eggs until you are ready to start the incubator and put them in? It is too cold outside and too warm inside? Inside runs 65 at night and 70 in the day. I now have an incubator, I have never used one except for a 4 egger I used at school for the children ( am retired now.) I at least would like to try a few eggs out as a trial before I put something in I really want...of course I would love to have the extra Silkies, too!! TY
I don't incubate, so can't help on any of those questions. However, if you choose to incubate, I don't think now is too early. Three weeks of incubation...then brooded for 4-5 weeks in the garage puts them going outside at the beginning of April. Based on your location, I'd think by early April it'd be plenty warm enough for 5 week old chicks. If the eggs are fertilized, and you're collecting them once a day to stick under a hen, as long as they're not frozen, they should be fine. Many hens don't even sit a nest until there are a few days worth of eggs piled up, exposed. Hope this helps a little at least...
If you hatch under a broody you can do it in Winter, if you want. My broody hens hatched chicks and raised them over winter with no problems. I would suggest you store up a clutch of eggs before putting them under your broody, so they'll hatch at the same time. Eggs should be stored at room temperature and turned at least once a day, to keep the yolk centred. I heard temperatures under 30* "kills" the egg, but I also heard of members here hatching eggs from the fridge! You can store them for up to 2 weeks, but you will get much better results if you don't store them longer than a week. Here's a good article on storing hatching eggs: http://www.pasreform.com/academy/fr...atching-eggs/16-storage-of-hatching-eggs.html and an excellent article on incubating eggs that I think you will enjoy: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101
