Ovatekly · Guides

Storing eggs before you set them.

How cool, how humid, which way up, for how long, and what to do on the day they go into the incubator. The figures are Texas A&M AgriLife’s and Kansas State’s.

Short answer

Keep fertile eggs at 55 to 65 °F (13 to 18 °C) and 70 to 80 % relative humidity, large end up, and set them within 7 days of laying: after 7 days hatchability falls 0.5 to 1.5 % a day (Texas A&M AgriLife). Do not wash them. Let them warm to room temperature for 4 to 8 hours before they go into the incubator.

At a glance

The storage numbers

What The guidance Source
Temperature 55 to 65 °F (13 to 18 °C). Never above 72 °F (22 °C), where embryos start to develop abnormally, and never below 46 °F (8 °C). Texas A&M (2022, 2000)
Humidity 70 to 80 % relative humidity (75 % in its reminders). Texas A&M (2022)
Which way up Large end up, on egg flats or in cartons, covered loosely to keep them clean. Texas A&M
How long Best within 7 days of laying; set within 7 to 10. Hatchability falls quickly after 10 days. Texas A&M
Turning Not needed if they are set within a week. Stored more than 10 days: tilt them 90 degrees from side to side once or twice a day. Texas A&M
More than two weeks Lower the storage temperature to 50 to 55 °F. Chukar eggs have been stored 3 to 4 weeks without much loss; turkey eggs are also an exception. Texas A&M (2000)

Sources: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (POSC-PU-018, 2022); Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (B-6092, 2000).

The cupboard question

Fridge, cellar or room?

Room temperature is generally too warm for fertile eggs, and a kitchen fridge at 32 to 40 °F is too cold: Texas A&M says neither is acceptable. A fridge can work if it is turned up to 55 to 65 °F, and the 2000 guide adds that it should then be dedicated to eggs, because those temperatures are not cold enough to keep food safely.

Humidity matters too. Too humid and condensation forms on the shell, which can clog its pores and let bacteria in; too dry and the egg loses moisture. A pan of water raises the humidity of a storage room, and it is the surface area of the water that counts, not its depth. Keep the eggs out of drafts, which dry them even when the humidity is right (Texas A&M).

Sources: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (POSC-PU-018, 2022); Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (B-6092, 2000).

Handling

Clean, but never washed

  • Do not wash eggs for hatching or wipe them with a damp cloth. It removes the egg’s protective layer, lets bacteria in and spreads them from a dirty egg to clean ones (Texas A&M).
  • Do not set cracked, misshapen, soiled, or unusually small or large eggs: they rarely hatch and can contaminate the good ones (Texas A&M).
  • You can buff a soiled egg gently with fine sandpaper, but it also damages the protective coating. Better not to set soiled eggs at all (Texas A&M).
  • Wash your hands before you handle the eggs (Texas A&M).
  • Collect often. Bought eggs: pick them up promptly, because eggs that get too hot or too cold in transit hatch less well (Texas A&M). Eggs from close to home travel best.

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (POSC-PU-018, 2022).

The egg clock

How fast hatchability drops

Texas A&M: after 7 days in storage, hatchability decreases by 0.5 to 1.5 % per day, and each day in storage adds about one hour to the incubation time. Kansas State’s rule of thumb is stricter: for each day eggs are held beyond 4 days, hatchability drops 3 to 4 % and hatching is delayed 30 minutes.

For longer storage, Kansas State keeps eggs at 65 °F in airtight plastic bags and turns them once a day by raising one end of the case on a board, then the other end the next day. Texas A&M’s 2000 guide also stores eggs in sealed plastic bags, small end down, to keep them clean and stop moisture loss.

One more Texas A&M point: a few days of storage (at least three) helps prepare eggs for incubation, but do not set fresh and stored eggs together, because they will not hatch together.

Sources: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (POSC-PU-018, 2022); Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (B-6092, 2000); Kansas State University, Incubation and Reproduction (poultry Q&A).

When they go in

On the day you set them

  • Run the incubator for several days in its room before setting, so you know temperature and humidity are stable (Texas A&M).
  • Let the eggs warm to room temperature for 4 to 8 hours first. Cold eggs in a warm, humid incubator gather condensation (Texas A&M).
  • Set them with the small end lower than the large end, so the chick’s head develops toward the air cell (Texas A&M).
  • Leave the settings alone for the first few hours while the eggs warm through, unless the temperature goes above 102 °F (Texas A&M).

Collecting eggs for an incubator that has not arrived yet? An Ovatekly arrives in an estimated 5 to 10 business days from order confirmation, with free tracked shipping in the lower 48. Order it before you start saving eggs, not after, so the eggs you collect this week are not past day 7 by the time it is warmed up and stable.

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Incubating and Hatching Eggs (POSC-PU-018, 2022).

Questions

Questions people ask

How long can fertile eggs be stored before incubation?
Best hatchability comes from eggs set within 7 days of laying; set them within 7 to 10 days. After 7 days hatchability drops 0.5 to 1.5 % per day, and it falls quickly after 10 days (Texas A&M AgriLife). Chukar and turkey eggs tolerate longer storage.
Can I keep hatching eggs in the fridge?
Not at normal fridge temperature: 32 to 40 °F is too cold for fertile eggs. A fridge turned up to 55 to 65 °F and kept only for eggs can work (Texas A&M).
Which way up should fertile eggs be stored?
Large end up, on egg flats or in cartons (Texas A&M). In the incubator, the small end should also sit lower than the large end.
Do I need to turn eggs before incubating them?
Not if you set them within a week. If you store them for more than 10 days, tilt them 90 degrees from side to side once or twice a day, for example by putting a block under one end of the flat and switching ends daily (Texas A&M).
Should I wash eggs before incubating them?
No. Washing or wiping with a damp cloth removes the egg’s protective layer and lets bacteria in (Texas A&M). Set clean eggs instead, and leave soiled ones out.
Can I set fresh and stored eggs together?
Texas A&M says not to: stored eggs take longer to hatch, about one hour per day of storage, so the two groups will not hatch together.

Sources

Where the numbers come from

Updated October 17, 2026. Written by the Ovatekly team. Temperatures, humidity levels and incubation periods on this page are general references from the extension publications named beside them, not Ovatekly specifications.

More from the hatch guides

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Every Ovatekly comes with Hatch Support: email a photo of your display or a candled egg to contact@ovatekly.com and a real person answers, from the day you set your eggs until they hatch.

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