temp of eggs before incubating

[RRO Ranch]

How cold can eggs get for how long before incubating? I am new to hatching eggs. Please help!

 

[chicknmania]

Cold? Where did the eggs come from? If they are fertile they will be good for a while but the more time elapses, the less likelihood of hatching. We had a hen a couple of years ago who was killed by a predator. She was a favorite, and had been setting on a clutch of eggs. She'd been dead about three days when I found her hidden nest, and I knew they were her eggs by the color. It was cold, in the very early spring, but we put the eggs in the incubator, I think there were seven. One hatched all the way, and we had another hatch part way. Definitely try incubating them, you haven't got anything to lose, really.

 

[chicknmania]

Welcome to BYC, too.

 

[RRO Ranch]

Thanks! I will try this most of mine only a day or two old and the hen has not started setting yet and she was killed last night by a predator also. I think I will try them any way I lost seven hens last night

 

[fduncan]

I put some eggs in my incubator this time that had been in the fridge for a few days and they all seem to be growing quite nicely

 

[dianneS]

I almost always refrigerate my eggs a few hours to a few days before I set them, either under a broody or in an incubator. I take them out of the frige and let them come up to room temp in an egg carton for about 24 hours, then set them. I've had great success this way. If I put the eggs under a broody, they all hatch at relatively the same time. A dozen or so will hatch out within a few hours of each other. The last time I did it this way, I had 100% hatch rate! (under a broody)

 

[Chickenman01]

I received some eggs from a friend that had been refrigerated. I thought it would be a waist of time but they all hatched. I don't know how long they were refrigerated but i was amazed they hatched. I have always heard you could not refrigerate the eggs if you wanted them to hatch. I have not tried it since but I may have to. Thanks for the info.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have pulled many eggs from fridge to incubate. Once I lost a favorite rooster "Zippy" and pulled eggs out of the fridge I knew he had fertilized. Now I have a favorite hen her name is "Baby Gaga".

I put in 8 refrigerated eggs in incubator, before that hens laid in 30 temp. I am on day 15 and only lost one egg.

Also if your incubator goes out don't give up on the eggs they will probably still be good.

Good luck!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101 please refer to my notes, this is a paste from them

Collection & Storage of Eggs
Sources for eggs are to search the BYC buy sell trade section, Craigslist and eBay. Your local thread on BYC may be the best bet for local eggs! Look for your local site in the “Social section” “Where am I? Where are You!” on BYC.

Choose eggs that are of good size, not abnormally big or small. Do NOT set dirty, cracked, or porous eggs. Try not to wash eggs as you will disrupt the protective barrier. Avoid using cloths to clean eggs because this removes the egg's protective coating and exposes it to entry of disease organisms. The washing and rubbing action also serves to force disease organisms through the pores of the shell. Place the eggs upright in an egg carton with the FAT, air cell end of the egg UP! Allow eggs to sit in a moderately cool, somewhat humid place for storage. Basements are great. Moderately cool means 55-65 degrees. Rotate your eggs a 3 times a day to keep the embryo from sticking. An easy way to turn all of the eggs at once is to place a thick book under one end of the carton, and later remove the book and put it under the other end of the carton, 3 times a day. Before adding eggs to the incubator always WARM eggs UP slowly to room temperature. IF THE EGGS ARE COLD Condensation can cause bacterial growth on the eggs! You can collect eggs up until 10 days or so, but after the 7th day lower hatch rates may result. Stored eggs take longer to hatch (about one hour per day of storage).

It is important to ALWAYS wash your hands before handling your hatching eggs!

Omphalitis, yolk sack infection is caused by a bacterium that enters through the porous egg shell and easily kills embryo's and newly hatched chicks. Unfortunately, incubation conditions are ideal for breeding bacteria as well as incubating eggs.
For more information on storing eggs refer to Recommendations for hatching egg handling and storage


​

 

[Kilsharion]

Allow eggs to sit in a moderately cool, somewhat humid place for storage. Basements are great. Moderately cool means 55-65 degrees

Interesting that you say this and others have said they've refridgerated theirs. My fridge sits at ~38*F. I couldn't imagine a fridge kept at 55 doing anyone any good.

Also,
Quote:
Yet, I was reading a book printed in 1909 where the bloke was at 18 days of travel before he would get his eggs - it took that long just coming to him - not to mention the time it took to gather that many. He would manage a reasonable hatch - but, he said - he got much better results using a broody with "stale" eggs than with an incubator. Given the quality of incubators then vs now, I'd imagine we should be getting at least a good a hatch as someone from 1909 would get. I wonder what it is we are doing different in this day and age than they did in theirs.