will fertile eggs from fridge hatch?

[_Randall_]

A.T. Hagan :

I don't know.

The ideal as I recall is in the 45-55 degree range with 60%+ humidity. You could probably look that up fairly easily.

So as the temperature climbs above that the desirability would fall.

The only time my house is below 65 degrees inside is during a winter cold snap so into the fridge my eggs go. Right now my inside house temp is in the 80-82 range. Too high to maintain good hatchability for eggs waiting to go into the box.

Reason I'm asking, my house has conventional flooring, and it's about 40" off the ground at the back. It is under-pened, and has a convenient access door at the back to go under the house through. In warm/hot months, it's fairly cool under there (60 -65), as well as very humid. That's where I'm keeping my quail eggs now as I collect 7-8 day's worth to to in the bator. Other than that, I have 2 fridges, but they're kept at the ~40 degree range.​

 

[JordanFamily]

Quote:
Well I just place all my hatching eggs in my fridge... I just put them in an egg carton and wrap the whole thing with paper towels and turn them 2 to 3 times a day. I keep them in the bottom vegi bend and set my fridge to where the thermometer reads around 40 degrees in the vegi bend... It works for me... I've hatched eggs with good rates that had been like that for 2 weeks... And temps have dropped below 40 a couple of times with no change in hatch rate...

 

[Spring Chook]

some very interesting and useful responses. Some of you have had some excellent returns on refridgerated eggs. i suppose its similiar to freezing human embyros. I really hope I get some chicks, and more girls than boys! Will keep you posted.
My next worry is when to move my broody hen, she's in with her friends at the moment and I'm loath to move her as she is very flighty and it might put her off sitting ....

Spring Chook
www.beloveforall.com

 

[write2caroline]

Yes. I just hatched three that were in my fridge for about 2 days. They did fine - my neighbor gave me three but only one hatched but didn't survive - not sure why and the other two didn't hatch at all after 25 days no pipping or peeping or anything visable on the candleing. My broody hatched them and they actually came a day early too!.
Caroline

 

[McSpin]

If your fridge is around 40 degrees, you'll probably have decent hatches. If it's around 33 degrees, your probably out of luck.

 

[Spring Chook]

UPDATE

I put 5 eggs under my broody bantam, one got broken early on by another hen, but of the remaining 4, three hatched. one Olive Egger, a black copper marans and a blue copper marans.

At roughly the same time, I gave 12 eggs to a friend with an incubator. Some had been in the fridge, some hadnt. Sadly only 1 hatched. Everything seemed perfect with the incubator so who knows why the others didnt hatch.

 

[gamechickens]

yes you can just make sure to bring them to room tmep before you stickt them under her. takes about 24 hrs

 

[stampntam]

congrats! I know I have seen on this forum that people have hatched store bought eggs too, so it can be done!

 

[sarochka]

To add my experience, I'm just finishing my first hatch. Out of a dozen eggs -- half of them refrigerated, half not -- 5 fridge eggs hatched, and 3 non-refrigerated. This particular fridge has seen better days (no longer the coldest) and the eggs were probably in less than a week... but it seems a little refrigeration may indeed not be so bad.

I was kind of impatient so I put the eggs in the incubator after they'd been out of the fridge for just a couple of hours. It's recommended to wait more like 24 hours, as others have said; but for me it was a very spontaneous decision to incubate these eggs at all. They weren't shipped eggs, though, so they had that working in their favor.

Good luck!!

 

[rebel yell]

thay most cerntely will just put them in the little drower in the bottom of the fridge & keep them turned like normel & set them out to get to room temp before sitting them under your hen.