storing ertile eggs

[bush]

How long can fertile quail eggs be kept and how should they be stored before putting in incubator?

 

[Quail Jailer]

How long can fertile quail eggs be kept and how should they be stored before putting in incubator?

I like mine cool and humid 55 degrees / 50% RH, turn twice a day. I prefer a three day hold, six in a pinch.

 

[Stellar]

You can store fertile eggs for up to 7 days (under 6 days is preferred). If you rig a fridge you can store eggs for 2 weeks and viability stays up though. Without a cool area, expect hatch rate to go down at day 10 of collection.

 

[DanieJ]

anyone ever hear of using a plastic bag to keep them from drying out? I read it online somewhere a couple of days ago.

 

[Quail Jailer]

anyone ever hear of using a plastic bag to keep them from drying out? I read it online somewhere a couple of days ago.

Yes, I read that too, have not tried it.

 

[JJSS89]

I typically store them for 23 days at about 99.7 and have good results

 

[BobDBirdDog]

I have done the same as JJSS89 except I did not store them in the cool AC in the house until after about 20 days or a day before I am ready for them. I have done this twice so far and my mortality has not been any different on the eggs (about 2-3 clears out of 100). They set in the nest in 80-90 degree weather until I was ready to collect them. Remember, mother nature sees to it that in most cases an egg is dormant until the hen is ready to sit the eggs, else one would be hatching every single day. The rest hatch just fine.

 

[ChazzanHillel]

Hi, I'm new to this too. When you're gonna incubate a group of eggs, do you store fertile eggs as you collect them for however many days until you have enough to start incubation? Or, do you just start incubating whoever you get in a day?

 

[Quail Jailer]

Easier to start all at once, because at day 14 you go into lockdown, you stop turning and raise the humidity, some folks lower the temp by half a degree or so.

if you have multi starts, either some go into lockdown too early or too late, unless you have a separate hatcher.

 

[BobDBirdDog]

I have done the same as JJSS89 except I did not store them in the cool AC in the house until after about 20 days or a day before I am ready for them. I have done this twice so far and my mortality has not been any different on the eggs (about 2-3 clears out of 100). They set in the nest in 80-90 degree weather until I was ready to collect them. Remember, mother nature sees to it that in most cases an egg is dormant until the hen is ready to sit the eggs, else one would be hatching every single day. The rest hatch just fine.

Obviously there was a huge brain fart on my part when I wrote this years back. but I want to restate my act and observations as to make it more clear.

JJSS89 was making a Joke (ha).

What I meant to say was:
I have stored eggs up to 20 days in the house under the cool AC as well as left clutches of eggs in the nest to accumulate for nearly 20 days before collecting them without any drop offs in fertility. 92-96% hatched.

If you use common sense and think about it....., the hen lays one egg a day and does not sit the eggs until she has a good clutch 12-18 eggs....ummm that is 12-18 days later in the wild and the hen simply goes to the nest drops and egg and then goes about her busy day of eating until she has a nice be pile of eggs.
Then she sits and incubate the eggs for 22 days So if a hen can store eggs in the wild for 12-18 days, it should not be a revelation that a human can store eggs a little longer in a cooler indoor climate.

The main thing is to keep the eggs from drying out and rotate them so the yolks don't settle.
AC pulls the moisture from the air and will dry out the eggs quicker, so its best to have some way to help keep them from drying out. Damp rag, mist spray bottle, etc