Egg Viability?

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:38 pm

Am a little confused over this, I was talking to the guy I got the peas off about fertile eggs. I mentioned that egg viability wa something like 7-10 days.
He said they are viable a lot longer and as an example said a pehen in breeding season will lay an egg every second day then will go broody when she has finished laying, he said his lay between 12 and 17 eggs, so from the first till the last that will be like 34 odd days, he also said his had a very high hatch rate.

I am asking this because I am expecting my new incubator to turn up by at least friday, I have been saving my silkie eggs which I have 6 now all up of sally's eggs. so that means the first one is 12 days old now.

In November last year she went broody on 1 of her eggs and I had a few of hers in the egg basket, so put them under her and they all hatched, I know they were a few weeks old so I can't help but wonder on a fertile eggs use by date for incubation.

This fasinates me and look forward to others opinions or experience on this.

Take Care All
Deb

greenaus · **Posted:** Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:09 pm

moonshadow_dancer wrote:

I can't help but wonder on a fertile eggs use by date for incubation.

A good hen will stamp it on there somewhere. Grab a good quality magnifying glass and see if you can find it. :lol:

Great job on the hatch of eggs generally considered past their "incubate by date".

I think it is trial and error as you have found. Unless you need to use them elsewhere if you have older eggs and the space go ahead. Just keep an eye -- and nose -- on any odd changes to the shell or any bad odours.

I have seen mentioned that chicks that hatch from older eggs may not be as smart when they grow up (or something like that), but I think that might be an old hens tale to scare us humans.

A Logan grandmother had identical triplets last week and they'll probably turn out alright. Identical triplets? Another topic, yes. True, apparently so. The doctors said "we are 99.9% certain" [end quote].

Now, back to your topic...What the breeder told you is probably true for peafowl. Actually, I'd go as far as to say it IS true. I've never met a peafowl breeder who lies (yet).

However, for chooks the "standard" presented often in discussions is "up to 10 days". I've been trying to keep mine no longer than 7 days.

And...if it doesn't take this thread off topic (both peafowl and chooks were mentioned in the original post), what about turkeys? The guy I'm getting the eggs off mentioned weeks ago that he could have 2 dozens eggs ready for me by this week. Is it possible he meant from collecting them over a three week period?

bunyanuternie · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:31 pm **Posts:** 2903

I'll say a week to be safe

after that stick them in anyway and Youll see the fertility drop very quickly even after five days

County Lodge · **Posted:** Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:48 pm

I have incubated eggs very successfully upto 14 days old when they were my own eggs. On the other side of the coin I bought a dozen eggs from NSW and Aust Post took 10 days to deliver them and only 2 eggs hatched.

I think it depends on how you store the eggs in the first place, the fertility of your stock and how healthy they are, and then how you incubate them by the temp and humidity stability and turning.

PS it is always a very good idea to run your incubator for at least 3 to 5 days before putting eggs in to make sure the temp is OK at 37.7 deg C and the humidity is correct using a hygrometer separate to that within the machine itself.

pjh · **Posted:** Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:55 pm

It is generally accepted that after 14 days the viability decreases by about 20% a day so by 19-20 days there is not much hope----hens are way better at hatching old eggs than an incubator.

My hens often lay second daily, and lay 10-11 eggs, so the oldest is about the 20 day mark when they start brooding them.

cheers pam

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:15 pm

Thanks everyone for all this advice, your not going to believe this but we have to go south in a few weeks to pick up some alpacas, and I don't really want to leave eggs incubating even in an auto turner unattended, so I might eat these eggs and start over when I return. Unless Sally goes broody soon then she can hatch them, her eggs anyway and I will pen her for this.
If only I had a chicken here so she could see, that makes her go broody every time.

Take Care all
Deb

bunyanuternie · **Joined:** Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:31 pm **Posts:** 2903

Enjoy your eggs mate , Have a close look at them when they go in the frypan , to be sure your Roosters doing his job

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:31 am

bunyanuternie wrote:

Enjoy your eggs mate , Have a close look at them when they go in the frypan , to be sure your Roosters doing his job

Ian how does one tell and what should I be looking for?

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:25 am

Hi CL,

When I cook mine I notice a red spot in most of them, and also like a white fuzzy thing next to the yolk, have no idea if this means their fertile but rarely got that from woolies eggs (not that I have bought eggs for over a year now).

Take Care
deb

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:29 am

I just hatched a plan to get Sally to go broody, tonight at bedtime I will make a little nest for her next to where she sleeps and put her eggs in there and then place her on the eggs, knowing sally can't resist sitting on eggs I think that may just work.

Will post tomorrow if it worked or not

Take Care
deb

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