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I don't know much about eggs or birds, but I've always been told birds are meant to keep their eggs warm. Seems like trying to hatch eggs that have been in on a shelf for an unknown amount of time could carry a real risk of some tragically deformed pets.

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Ducks have a system for this -- they lay an egg a day but won't start incubating them until they have laid their full clutch. The eggs won't start developing until the bird starts incubating them, and they can remain in this state for quite a while especially if kept cold.

Yup. Worked on a turkey egg (for hatching) farm. The eggs were kept cold until they reach the hatchery for the same reason.

Eggs are similar to plant seeds in a way, keeping them cold can delay the development of the embryo by weeks, and they'll still hatch healthy most of the time.

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