What exactly is "Day One"?

[possumblossum]

I'm new to the chicken world and am no where near ready to hatch eggs, but I like to get as educated as possible, as early as possible.

I've read the articles on the Learing Center about incubating/hatching, but all of the information starts on "Day One'. When incubating eggs, is Day 1 the day the egg is laid? The next day?

If it's other than the day the egg is laid, how long can I wait before I put eggs in an incubator?
Is there anything I do to extend this latency period?....I think I saw something about keeping them in a dark, dry place, but I've only read about a kagillion lines of text.....so much information to digest.

Thanks,
Justin

 

[joe17]

Well, day one starts when the first 24 hours in the INCUBATOR have passed. I usually set the eggs in at midnight so my days are perfect lol. You should store eggs in a cool room with some humidity. When you want to put them in the bator, you must let the sit out for 24 hours to warm up to room temperature so they don't sweat or weep. Remember, small end down!

 

[LuckyChick]

Day one starts when you put the eggs in the incubator. I've heard that you can collect and hold eggs for up to ten days before placing them in an incubator as long as they are turned during this holding time. I've never held eggs for longer than six days. My hatch rate was 100%, but these were eggs collected from my hens and I had them in a turner.

 

[LuckyChick]

Joe is right. After 24 hours in the incubator you've had your day one.

 

[TACEYPERKINS]

The eggs are only fertile up to 10 days, after that the potency of the egg drops off dramatically. Keeping them in a cool place just ensures that they stay fresh and viable. You want to use the eggs as soon as you can, so you can have the best hatch rate you can.