Which eggs to hatch?

[Tracygdot]

What are the rules for hatching eggs? If I collect eggs every day, after a week can I pick which ones I want to hatch? How about 2 weeks? Is there anything to look for that would suggest one egg is better than another? Thx!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

I save ours up to put in the incubator until I've got a couple dozen. A couple may be smaller or longer than normal, but I've never seen a problem.

The hatch rate declines on eggs older than two weeks. It also declines if they were in the refrigerator (that's actually worse). But I've incubated older eggs, and twice took some from the fridge to fill the incubator. If you do either of those, just expect a lower hatch rate.

If you have a small incubator, just take the freshest ones and the ones that look like a normal egg. None with cracks.

 

[Susan Skylark]

I’d keep collection to a little over a week or less, hatchability declines after 10 days. Keep them at 45-68 degrees, turn daily. Exclude soft shells, weird shapes, over large or small (extremes), cracks, super dirty. Also consider health and temperament of the hen (if you can tell), collect eggs from your best.