[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

Hi again
How long can you keep eggs before incubation and does it effect the chances the longer you leave them
Or is it different for each breed

I know a hen will lay a few before they sit on them but wondered what would be the maximum

I want to incubate a clutch together rather than a couple here or there

Thanks

[JedM]

Hi
It is best to incubate the eggs before they are 6 days old, as fertility will start to drop after 6 days.
Hope you have a good hatch.  My incubator has 24 eggs in right now and all are showing fertile!

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

Can you candle them soon as they hatch or do they need incubating for a couple of days first

[Steph Hen]

Can you candle them soon as they hatch or do they need incubating for a couple of days first

?
Did you mean Layed? You need to incubate for a few days, about 4-6 if you've not done it before. But with some pale shelled eggs, with a good light, it's possible to see some development really soon after setting, 3 days.
I've read that fertility will start to drop after a week, but I've had fine enough success with three week old eggs. As you say, a hen will lay a good 12 or so before sitting, so common sense suggests that eggs 14 days old have a pretty good chance.

 (Just plucking figures out of the air,) two week old eggs  maybe have something like ~80% chance compared to ~95% chance. Reduced, but probably still worth doing if they're your own eggs rather than ones you're paying for; you'll get more chicks than if you scramble everything past one week old

 I intend to do one more batch of pure breds, I'll date them and use eggs up to 3 weeks old again and see which hatches out.

[HesterF]

Blimey! I can't even think about hatching in this weather. You must have a lot of indoor space for them!

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

Yes did mean layed ha

Do u incubate at 22 degrees

Thanks

[HesterF]

No - 37.2 degrees (ish). How are you planning on incubating? If you've got an incubator, it should have the instructions with it. Seriously though, if you haven't done this before, this is not the time of year to start - you will be hatching in late November/early December. So while it's fine to have some cute little bundles of fluff around for a couple of weeks, what you don't want is newly feathered chicks needing to go outside in January. So unless you have a lovely, warm, predator proof barn available for them once they're a bit older I would seriously suggest waiting until Feb/March before you start setting eggs in an incubator.

[Stereo]

Wot Hester said. I believe research has suggested that fertility starts to drop off seriously after 10 days. But even then it's gradual in the right conditions.

[chrismahon]

We don't bother with eggs older than 7 days. The egg contents are breaking down and weak chicks will result, if they do hatch. For maximum nutritional value eggs should be consumed in 3 days.


Suggest you buy Katie Thear's book Incubation, a guide to hatching and rearing ISBN0-9061-3725-X. As said, hatching this time of year is extremely difficult. The problem is not so much incubation, but how to keep the hatchlings warm as they grow over the winter months. We've done it once and never again.

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

Ye I have couple of incubators at work and some good sized brooders
Also a couple of large pigeon lofts with electric so prob could work

Not sure where I got the 22 degrees from but I am going to wait while early next year

Just researching first

Thanks