How you collect and store poultry eggs for hatching influences not only your hatch rate, but also the hardiness of resulting chicks. Whether you’re hatching in an incubator or under a hen, here’s the right way to store hatching eggs to improve your hatch rate and chick health:
Store only fresh, clean eggs.
Keep nests clean and collect eggs often to ensure their cleanliness. Do not incubate dirty eggs — incubator temperature and humidity provide an excellent environment for the growth of bacteria. That bacteria can infect developing embryos or cause eggs literally to explode during incubation.
Dry-clean slightly soiled eggs with fine sandpaper or a dry sanding sponge. Do not wash the eggs, which will remove the protective bloom.
But you can dip them into a sanitizer, which does not affect the bloom and does improve the hatch rate. Sanitize eggs as soon as possible after collecting them from the nest.
Many products are available for sanitizing eggs, including quaternary ammonia products (such as Germ-X), phenol based products (such as Tektrol), and 1 percent iodine solutions (such as Durvet). These sanitizers vary in their friendliness to the chicken keeper, developing embryos, and the environment.
Or you can make an egg sanitizer by adding 1 teaspoon of household chlorine bleach (Clorox) to 1 quart of water warmed to 101°F. Never use water that’s cooler than the eggs, which can force contamination through the shell.
Dip the eggs in the sanitizer for at least 1 minute but no more than 3 minutes. Then set them on a clean towel to air dry. Do not rub them dry, which would rub off the bloom.
Avoid temperature shock.
Temperature shock — caused by a too-rapid change in the temperature of hatching eggs — affects hatchability by causing condensation to collect on shells. Condensation both stops the flow of oxygen to embryos and can lead to bacterial growth. Temperature shock most commonly occurs under these conditions:
- Eggs are sanitized at temperatures that are too hot or too cold.
- Eggs are exposed to temperature variations during transport.
- Eggs are transferred from cold storage to a warm environment, or vice versa.
- Cool eggs are placed in a warm incubator without first being warmed to room temperature.
The importance of candling before incubation.
Candling means examining the contents of an egg by placing a bright light behind it. Eliminate hatching eggs with these defects:
- Hairline cracks — and other shell imperfections, which can introduce bacteria
- Double yolks — rarely hatch; often indicated by an unusually large egg
- Blood spot — a small, dark dot on the yolk or within the white; not harmful, but can be hereditary
- Old egg — the older the egg, the larger the air cell at the blunt end
See: How to Candle Eggs for Hatching or Eating
Use washable cartons to store poultry eggs for hatching.
Store hatching eggs in clean cartons. The hard-plastic egg cartons, of the sort campers use, are easy to disinfect before reuse. Recycled Styrofoam or cardboard cartons from the grocery store accumulate bacteria over time.
Blunt end up or pointy end up?
Whether you store eggs for hatching with the large end up or vice versa influences their hatchability. Either way, the goal is to keep the yolks centered within the albumen.
Most backyard flock owners store hatching eggs with the blunt end up throughout the storage period. This position keeps the air cell intact and minimizes evaporation from within the egg.
However, research indicates that storing eggs with their large ends up may work best for the first three days of storage. But eggs stored for longer than three days hatch slightly better when stored with the pointed end up.
Tilt hatching eggs during storage.
Tilting hatching eggs during storage keeps the yolks from sticking to the shell membrane, which can lead to deformities or embryo death. Some backyard poultry keepers tilt eggs throughout storage.
But tilting is more important for hatching eggs stored for longer than 7 days. Simply elevate one end of the carton at a 30° to 45° angle. At least once a day elevate the opposite end to tilt eggs in the other direction.
Best storage temperature?
Store hatching eggs away from direct sunlight and preferably in a dark, cool, relatively dry place. But not in the refrigerator!
The perfect temperature is 55°F, but anywhere between 50°F and 60°F is okay. The goal is to keep the embryos dormant while avoiding bacterial growth.
Best storage humidity?
The perfect humidity for storing hatching eggs is about 75%, with a range of 70% to 80%. At a much higher humidity, moisture condensing on the shells attracts harmful molds. High humidity also encourages any bacteria on the shell to multiply.
Excessive dryness, on the other hand, increases the rate at which moisture evaporates through the shells. The less moisture that evaporates from eggs during storage, the better chance they have of hatching.
How long to store poultry eggs for hatching?
You needn’t rush an egg into the incubator the moment it is laid. Under proper conditions, eggs remain dormant until incubation, so the embryos will all develop at the same rate and hatch at the same time.
But even under optimum storage conditions, the longer you store eggs, the longer they will take to hatch, the weaker the embryos get, and the higher the death rate during incubation. A short storage period leads to an even hatch with the best embryo survival and growth rate, resulting in active chicks.
For the best hatching rate, store eggs for no more than 3 days. But you can still get about 85% hatch rate for eggs stored up to 7 days.
How not to store poultry eggs for hatching.
- Do not leave hatching eggs in the coop where they can overheat, chill, or get soiled.
- Do not wash hatching eggs or you’ll remove the protective bloom.
- Do not attempt to hatch old eggs or those with shell defects.
- Do not store hatching eggs in recycled egg cartons.
- Do not expose hatching eggs to temperature shock, which causes shells to sweat.
- Do not store them below 50°F or embryos will die.
- Do not store them above 75°F or embryos may start to develop.
- Do not store them in direct sunlight or embryos will overheat and die.
- Do not store them below 50% humidity or they will lose too much moisture.
- Do not store them above 85% humidity, which can cause mold and bacterial growth.
- Do not store hatching eggs for more than 3 days for the best hatch rate.
- Do not store them for more than 7 days to avoid a dramatic loss in hatchability.
- Do not incubate eggs that are not typical in size and shape for the breed.
FAQs
Does egg size or shape affect hatchability?
Yes. Eggs that are the average shape and size for the breed are more likely to hatch successfully.
Should you wash hatching eggs?
No. Washing removes the protective bloom. Brush off light soil. Discard heavily soiled eggs.
How to avoid hatching egg contamination?
- Keep nests clean and dry.
- Collect eggs often.
- Sanitize soon after collection.
- Wash hands before handling eggs.
- Avoid conditions that cause condensation on shells.
- Store hatching eggs in sanitized cartons.
- Store them away from pets and human traffic.
Should you store hatching eggs in the fridge?
No. A refrigerator is too cold for storing poultry eggs for hatching.
What is the best temperature for storing eggs for hatching?
The best storage temperature is 55°F, with a range of 50°F to 60°F.
What is the best humidity for storing eggs for hatching?
The best storage humidity is 75%, with a range of 70% to 80%.
How to determine relative humidity in the storage area?
A hygrometer will measure humidity in the storage area. Many digital thermometers now include a hygrometer reading.
How long can you store hatching eggs before incubation?
The longer you store poultry eggs for hatching, the lower the hatch rate. For the best rate, hold eggs no more than 3 days. Eggs stored for 7 days or more will have a reduced hatch rate, which will continue to decline over time despite the best storage conditions.
Helpful Links
No Guarantees When Ordering Hatching Eggs by Mail
How Long After Mating Does a Hen Lay Fertile Eggs?
Is Egg Fertility the Same as Hatchability During Incubation?
And that’s today’s news from the Cackle Coop.
Gail Damerow has raised chickens and various other poultry for more than 5 decades and has written numerous books about them, including Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks and others available from the Cackle Bookstore.
