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.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If I collect eggs every day, after a week can I pick which ones I want to hatch? How about 2 weeks?

A hen can start laying eggs 2 weeks before she starts incubating and usually get a great hatch. So 2 weeks are certainly possible. I'm not a hen laying in a hidden nest though.

The hatcheries have studied this. The ideal temperature to store eggs is around 55 Fahrenheit (about 13 C). The further you are from this the worse your chances the longer you store them. You want to try to keep them below 80 F (27 C) as they can start to develop some. Nor enough to hatch but enough to reduce their hatchability. You don't want to freeze them but if you don't have AC and it gets really hot you might store them in your refrigerator. Not all refrigerators are the same temperature and you might have a warmer spot in your fridge. Some people get pretty good hatch rates with refrigerated eggs but again the longer they are stored at that temperature the worse it is. I keep mine in my house where the temperatures are in the 70's F for no longer than a week and do OK.

They should not be stored with the pointy end up. The air cell is in the fat end and needs to stay there. You can lay them flat, like a hen does in the nest, or store them pointy side down to maintain the air cell.

Another issue is turning. If you store them more than 2 or 3 days they should be turned to keep the yolk from settling out and touching the inside of the shell and getting stuck. Those cannot hatch. It also keeps fluids mixed. There are different ways to do this. If you store them pointy side down rotate them 45 degrees to one side then back 90 degrees so they are 45 degrees the other. Or if they are laid flat put an x on one side and an o on the other and roll them. It is generally recommended to turn them a minimum of three times a day.

Then there is humidity. The longer they are stored the more moisture they lose through the porous shell. It is especially worse if your humidity is low. The higher the humidity the better up to a point. You do not want humidity condensing on the eggs. To me this is the hardest part to manage. I store them in the house in February with the heat on so my humidity levels can get really low. I still get good hatch rates storing them no longer than a week.

Is there anything to look for that would suggest one egg is better than another?

The eggs should be clean. A little dusting isn't bad as long as it is and was always dry. A wet blob of mud or poop (or one that has dried) can remove the protective coating on the shell so I don't try to hatch these. Try to hatch eggs the size the hen normally lays. Avoid abnormally large or small eggs, there could easily be something wrong with them. Avoid cracked or weird-shaped eggs.

Do not wash or sandpaper the eggs to get them clean. If you do you remove the protective coating we call bloom on the eggs that is there to help keep bacteria from going through the porous eggshell. I may very gently rub the eggs to remove some loose crud but do not rub them hard at all. If they are that bad I don't set them.

I try to hatch eggs from hens that I want the chicks to be like. That may be feather color or pattern, eggshell color, going broody or not, size, personality, healthy, or whatever.

Good luck with it, enjoy the adventure.

 

[Tracygdot]

A hen can start laying eggs 2 weeks before she starts incubating and usually get a great hatch. So 2 weeks are certainly possible. I'm not a hen laying in a hidden nest though.

The hatcheries have studied this. The ideal temperature to store eggs is around 55 Fahrenheit (about 13 C). The further you are from this the worse your chances the longer you store them. You want to try to keep them below 80 F (27 C) as they can start to develop some. Nor enough to hatch but enough to reduce their hatchability. You don't want to freeze them but if you don't have AC and it gets really hot you might store them in your refrigerator. Not all refrigerators are the same temperature and you might have a warmer spot in your fridge. Some people get pretty good hatch rates with refrigerated eggs but again the longer they are stored at that temperature the worse it is. I keep mine in my house where the temperatures are in the 70's F for no longer than a week and do OK.

They should not be stored with the pointy end up. The air cell is in the fat end and needs to stay there. You can lay them flat, like a hen does in the nest, or store them pointy side down to maintain the air cell.

Another issue is turning. If you store them more than 2 or 3 days they should be turned to keep the yolk from settling out and touching the inside of the shell and getting stuck. Those cannot hatch. It also keeps fluids mixed. There are different ways to do this. If you store them pointy side down rotate them 45 degrees to one side then back 90 degrees so they are 45 degrees the other. Or if they are laid flat put an x on one side and an o on the other and roll them. It is generally recommended to turn them a minimum of three times a day.

Then there is humidity. The longer they are stored the more moisture they lose through the porous shell. It is especially worse if your humidity is low. The higher the humidity the better up to a point. You do not want humidity condensing on the eggs. To me this is the hardest part to manage. I store them in the house in February with the heat on so my humidity levels can get really low. I still get good hatch rates storing them no longer than a week.


The eggs should be clean. A little dusting isn't bad as long as it is and was always dry. A wet blob of mud or poop (or one that has dried) can remove the protective coating on the shell so I don't try to hatch these. Try to hatch eggs the size the hen normally lays. Avoid abnormally large or small eggs, there could easily be something wrong with them. Avoid cracked or weird-shaped eggs.

Do not wash or sandpaper the eggs to get them clean. If you do you remove the protective coating we call bloom on the eggs that is there to help keep bacteria from going through the porous eggshell. I may very gently rub the eggs to remove some loose crud but do not rub them hard at all. If they are that bad I don't set them.

I try to hatch eggs from hens that I want the chicks to be like. That may be feather color or pattern, eggshell color, going broody or not, size, personality, healthy, or whatever.

Good luck with it, enjoy the adventure.

Thank you!

 

[FunClucks]

I have hatched dirty eggs by drenching them in hydrogen peroxide and scrubbing them until they're clean. 90%+ hatch rate. I usually keep my eggs no older than 2 weeks, and look for good condition otherwise. But when we're having wet weather, if I only hatch perfect eggs, I wouldn't hatch any. Also, it's always my favorite hen's eggs which are nasty. Don't know how they manage it. I use a NutureRight 360 according to the directions with the unit.

If you do this, you have to basically sterilize your incubator and wear gloves when handling eggs, or constantly wash hands, etc. I would use an alcohol wipe prior to turning eggs. I figure, if I remove the protective layer, it's on me to keep things clean and prevent bacteria from getting into my hatch.

I was told that commercially they spray hatching eggs with H2O2 to prevent potential transmission of disease on the outsides of the eggs.