How do you store fertile eggs prior to using an incubator?

[NW Chick Gal]

Hi folks,

I'm new to this thread and will be having a friend who has a new incubator try to hatch some of my fertile Swedish Flower hen eggs. Any tips or advice? Do you store at room temp/ In an egg carton? Small tip up or down? For how long can you keep fertile eggs before incubating? Best way to transport in a vehicle?

Someone has borrowed my chicken books and not returned them. So thought this forum would be a good place to get answers.

 

[HEChicken]

You want to store them with the big end (air cell end) UP in the egg carton (pointy tip down into the carton). Room temperature is best, depending on how warm room temperature is for you this time of year. I would probably store them in my basement where the temperature is a little cooler and more consistent. Also, if you tilt one end of the egg carton on a large book and alternate which end is tipped a couple of times a day, that is recommended, to keep the yolk from settling on one side or the other.

As for transportation, I always do it very carefully. I wrap the carton(s) in a towel for padding, then place them in the car where they are least likely to move around. I avoid hitting pot holes while going fast and generally accelerate and brake a little more slowly and carefully. I don't know if any of that makes a difference but I figure the main problem with shipped eggs is the treatment they get in transit so I try to make eggs I've picked up have as smooth a journey as possible.

 

[Easter eggers]

Keep the eggs at 40-60 degrees F in an egg carton point down. You can keep them for7-10days. Transport them in a carton I hope this helps

 

[NW Chick Gal]

Thanks for all the good tips!

 

[NW Chick Gal]

I'd better start collecting tomorrow as my trip is in a week. Thanks for the info.

 

[cochins1088]

HEChicken's advice is perfect, but I would just add one thing, aviod vents and stuff so that the humidity isn't to low and you don't have drastic tempature changes, I have made this mistake in the past.

 

[Kekko]

This is the “Tips On Collecting Hatching Eggs” I use on my website for people that are bringing me eggs to hatch for them!

I have found the closer to these instruction you follow the better your hatch will be.

Make sure you have a Rooster with your hens. I say this since I had someone bring me eggs once and after we discovered none of them were fertile the person admitted that their Rooster had been killed several weeks earlier! No Rooster = No Chicks!

Hens should be on a well balanced Layer type feed, healthy and happy!

Make sure your nest boxes or the area your chickens are laying is clean. This reduces the contamination of the eggs.

Try to gather the eggs as soon as possible after they are laid. Two to three times per day if possible in extreme weather. Eggs need to be keep above 50 and below 70 degrees until incubated. Below 50 degrees the embryo is at risk of dieing. Above 70 and the embryo begins to develop and then dies if proper incubating temperatures are not maintained. During cold weather you have the risk of freezing or getting cold enough to kill the embryo. During warm weather you have a risk of them getting to warm. “DO NOT REFRIGERATE”!

Gather eggs in a clean container with clean hands. The less you handle the eggs the better they are. Be gentle with them to avoid cracking.

“Never Wash The Eggs”! If they are soiled badly wipe gently with a dry paper towel or reject it for incubating. If in doubt save it and I can determine if it is useable. Washing with water can push bacteria through the natural protective coating of the egg. Check eggs rejecting any that have cracks or other defects. Deformed or odd shaped eggs rarely hatch!

If you would like to mark the egg with breed or date collected it should be done with a #2 pencil. Never use a magic or permanent marker! Some ink pens can also be damaging to the embryo. I mark a customer Number on the top and bottom of the shell so I can keep track of the eggs during incubation.

Place eggs in a clean Cardboard or Styrofoam egg carton. “Large End Up”! Store the eggs in a cool place such as a basement, garage or area that will stay between 60 and 65 degrees. Elevate one end of the egg carton by placing it on a 2X4 on edge or even another egg carton. At least once per day (Two to three times per day is better) alternate the elevated end to change the position of the embryo in the egg. This exercises the embryo and prevents it from sticking inside the shell. I use a Wine Cooler set between 64 to 65 degrees to store eggs in.

Chicken eggs can be saved for a week to ten days and sometimes more. I prefer to incubate eggs that are no more than 7 to 10 days old. After 10 days the hatch rate drops rapidly.

 

[NW Chick Gal]

Thanks for that advice.

 

[NW Chick Gal]

This is the “Tips On Collecting Hatching Eggs” I use on my website for people that are bringing me eggs to hatch for them!

I have found the closer to these instruction you follow the better your hatch will be.

Make sure you have a Rooster with your hens. I say this since I had someone bring me eggs once and after we discovered none of them were fertile the person admitted that their Rooster had been killed several weeks earlier! No Rooster = No Chicks!

Hens should be on a well balanced Layer type feed, healthy and happy!

Make sure your nest boxes or the area your chickens are laying is clean. This reduces the contamination of the eggs.

Try to gather the eggs as soon as possible after they are laid. Two to three times per day if possible in extreme weather. Eggs need to be keep above 50 and below 70 degrees until incubated. Below 50 degrees the embryo is at risk of dieing. Above 70 and the embryo begins to develop and then dies if proper incubating temperatures are not maintained. During cold weather you have the risk of freezing or getting cold enough to kill the embryo. During warm weather you have a risk of them getting to warm. “DO NOT REFRIGERATE”!

Gather eggs in a clean container with clean hands. The less you handle the eggs the better they are. Be gentle with them to avoid cracking.

“Never Wash The Eggs”! If they are soiled badly wipe gently with a dry paper towel or reject it for incubating. If in doubt save it and I can determine if it is useable. Washing with water can push bacteria through the natural protective coating of the egg. Check eggs rejecting any that have cracks or other defects. Deformed or odd shaped eggs rarely hatch!

If you would like to mark the egg with breed or date collected it should be done with a #2 pencil. Never use a magic or permanent marker! Some ink pens can also be damaging to the embryo. I mark a customer Number on the top and bottom of the shell so I can keep track of the eggs during incubation.

Place eggs in a clean Cardboard or Styrofoam egg carton. “Large End Up”! Store the eggs in a cool place such as a basement, garage or area that will stay between 60 and 65 degrees. Elevate one end of the egg carton by placing it on a 2X4 on edge or even another egg carton. At least once per day (Two to three times per day is better) alternate the elevated end to change the position of the embryo in the egg. This exercises the embryo and prevents it from sticking inside the shell. I use a Wine Cooler set between 64 to 65 degrees to store eggs in.

Chicken eggs can be saved for a week to ten days and sometimes more. I prefer to incubate eggs that are no more than 7 to 10 days old. After 10 days the hatch rate drops rapidly.

Mor good advice. Thank you!

 

[chickery-do]

Very good info! Thanks