Gathering eggs for hatching

[DIYGuy24]

Hi all!

I have a small flock of 5 hens and a rooster that I'm hoping to increase in size through incubating eggs. Currently only 3 hens are laying and with the cold weather, what's the best way to collect/store the eggs until I have enough to incubate?

Thanks and looking forward to posting a hatch- along

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Make sure your nests are clean. Keep the eggs clean when collecting. Don't use eggs that have frozen. Try to keep the eggs somewhere the temperature doesn't fluctuate much. Turn the eggs at least twice a day during storage. Only incubate eggs that are less than 10 days old and preferably less than a week old. Bring them to temperature slowly, room temperature first before putting them in the incubator. Too large of a temperature swing can cause condensation.
Don't collect small eggs from young pullets. Only after eggs are full size for the breed.
How many eggs does your incubator hold?
With that ratio of birds, they are probably fertile but it is a good idea to open an egg and look for the bullseye to make sure they are fertile.

 

[Cloverr39]

I agree that it's best not to store them too long before incubating, but I'm also often in situations when only a few hens are laying when I'm collecting eggs. I've found that eggs can generally be stored for up to 14 days. The hatch rates may drop a bit for the older eggs, though. And I only turn the eggs that are over 1 week old.
I always hatch eggs that have been stored for 1-14 days before incubating and still get good hatch rates. As long as they're fertilized and aren't too small or misshapen, they should be fine.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That depends on if storage is under ideal conditions. Hatchability is reduced for each day of storage.
Two settings can work as well. Turning is no longer critical the last week and as long as humidity is increased when the first eggs are near hatch.

 

[Kiki]

Put them in an egg carton on the kitchen counter away from heat, fat side up. Set them in the incubator before they are a week old.

 

[DIYGuy24]

Make sure your nests are clean. Keep the eggs clean when collecting. Don't use eggs that have frozen. Try to keep the eggs somewhere the temperature doesn't fluctuate much. Turn the eggs at least twice a day during storage. Only incubate eggs that are less than 10 days old and preferably less than a week old. Bring them to temperature slowly, room temperature first before putting them in the incubator. Too large of a temperature swing can cause condensation.
Don't collect small eggs from young pullets. Only after eggs are full size for the breed.
How many eggs does your incubator hold?
With that ratio of birds, they are probably fertile but it is a good idea to open an egg and look for the bullseye to make sure they are fertile.

Condensation was exactly my concern. I guess I'll try to check every hour or to see if they laid and egg to keep them from getting colder.
From what I can tell they seem to be fertilized- all the eggs we have eaten in the past look the same.
I only have a small 12 egg incubator so I should be able to get enough in about 4-5 days

 

[wrathsfarm]

Condensation was exactly my concern. I guess I'll try to check every hour or to see if they laid and egg to keep them from getting colder.
From what I can tell they seem to be fertilized- all the eggs we have eaten in the past look the same.
I only have a small 12 egg incubator so I should be able to get enough in about 4-5 days

That one's fertile, the white dot in the middle that looks like a 'bulls eye'.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some good suggestions above. When I was in NW Arkansas I typically had a February hatch. Our weather was probably a little warmer than yours in general but we had some cold snaps. It got below freezing many nights and occasionally during the day.

Clean eggs are important. You want clean nests but also wash your hands before handling the eggs. Try to store them in a clean place. Sterilize your incubator before you start incubation.

Ideal storage temperatures are around 55 Fahrenheit. In ideal conditions the eggs can easily last two weeks. Most of us don't have that. I took my turner out of the incubator and stored them at room temperature for a week and had good hatches. With the smaller incubator you may not be able to take your turner out and use it for storage.

I found that if I hatched a pullet's first eggs I had reduced hatchability and a lower survival rate of those that hatched. If I waited until she had been laying about a month most of these problems went away. The eggs were still smaller than she would eventually lay but were quite a bit bigger than the first few she laid. I had some nice hatches with those eggs.

It sounds like you have mature hens. I don't see any need to wait o hatch those.

 

[DIYGuy24]

Some good suggestions above. When I was in NW Arkansas I typically had a February hatch. Our weather was probably a little warmer than yours in general but we had some cold snaps. It got below freezing many nights and occasionally during the day.

Clean eggs are important. You want clean nests but also wash your hands before handling the eggs. Try to store them in a clean place. Sterilize your incubator before you start incubation.

Ideal storage temperatures are around 55 Fahrenheit. In ideal conditions the eggs can easily last two weeks. Most of us don't have that. I took my turner out of the incubator and stored them at room temperature for a week and had good hatches. With the smaller incubator you may not be able to take your turner out and use it for storage.

I found that if I hatched a pullet's first eggs I had reduced hatchability and a lower survival rate of those that hatched. If I waited until she had been laying about a month most of these problems went away. The eggs were still smaller than she would eventually lay but were quite a bit bigger than the first few she laid. I had some nice hatches with those eggs.

It sounds like you have mature hens. I don't see any need to wait o hatch those.

Thanks for the reply and good suggestions!

I didn't think about washing my hands before getting the eggs. My eggs/nesting boxes are typically very clean unless it's rained for multiple days in a row.
How did you sterilize your incubator? Lysol wipes?

Yeah they have been laying since before October '24 so they should be good.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I make a weak bleach and water solution and use that, then let it air out well.