Will These Eggs Keep?

[amyfitz100]

Now that 4 of my hens are laying, I've been saving (and tilting) all the eggs I've collected since Tuesday (the 11th) to try and incubate. I have no idea if many of them are fertile -- I've only seen any action with one or two hens -- but someone has offered me a hovabator to use and I want to give it a shot. I have 22 eggs in cartons on the counter. I counted the days and I can't start incubating until the 21st or I will be out of town when they're supposed to hatch! Do I need to use the earlier eggs or will they keep? I assume i wont keep getting four EVERY day, but I have for the last 5 days! I don't even know how many the incubator holds -- I haven't unpacked it yet. If I do use the eggs, will they still be safe to eat?

 

[Mommy6]

Never know until you try! My parents had 2 bantam hens that hatched out 26 eggs between them, which assuming they laid every day, it was at least 13 days that they let their eggs accumulate before they went broody.

 

[pogmobum]

I have hatched eggs that were put into the incubator 28 days after they were laid, doing it sooner rather then later is always better but the general rule is that they can last a month, also keep them in a carton with the round end up, good luck hope this helps

 

[amyfitz100]

Thanks! THIS batch I have kept the right direction (lol) and I have a tuna can keeping one end of the carton elevated. I'm switching it from one end to the other three times a day. We'll see what happens... Does anybody know how many eggs a hovabator holds?

 

[pogmobum]

Ya my first ever batch was pointy end up as per usual for newbies lol!

 

[Mommy6]

Without an auto-turner my GQF hova is supposed to hold 50 chicken eggs.

 

[amyfitz100]

That's a lot of eggs... and chicks...