Found this info on another site and thought it very interesting. Enough to save the info.
Not having to deal with this species for about 20 years, I do not read up on them...unless asked for specfic info required.....
Copy/pasted from that site:
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/21321e.pdfClick directly on the egg storage section on left and read that specifically dealing with chukars, and check out the storage/hatch rate charts in the same section.
Even that author notes a higher hatch rate at [up to] 21 days rather than 1 week.
And turning chukar eggs during storage really cuts down on viability, as compared to coturnix in which turning during storage increases viability.
Taken from the PDF . . . remember, this deals specifically with Chukars
Clean eggs should be stored, large end up, on
trays or flats in a cool, well ventilated room
kept at about 55° F (12.8° C) at a relative
humidity of 70 percent. A unique feature of partridge
eggs is their ability to withstand storage
up to 28 days without appreciably affecting
hatchability (table 1). However, most breeders
prefer to set eggs every 7 days. Further studies
at the University of California show that eggs
need not be turned daily if the storage period
does not exceed 14 days (table 2).
TABLE 1. Influence of Length of Storage Time
on Hatchability of Game Bird Eggs.
Hatchability(%)
Holding period
(days) Chukar Pheasant Coturnix
1-7 78.4 58.1 57.4
8-14 77.1 41.7 60.0
15-21 79.4 17.6 25.7
22-28 66.0 7.1 14.4
29-35 37.7 0.0 4.2
36-42 22.3 0.0 0.0
TABLE 2. Effect of Turning Eggs During Storage
on Hatchability in Game Bird Eggs.
Hatchability (%)
Holding Chukar Coturnix
period
(days) Turned* Control Turned* Control
1-7 63.0 75.5 61.4 53.4
8-14 60.8 62.0 60.0 60.0
15-21 61.9 48.0 29.2 22.6
22-28 62.2 52.2 11.5 17.2
Average 61.9 59.4 40.5 38.3
*Eggs were turned through 90° twice a day during the hold
period
Embryo Mortality
A sampling of hatching eggs from each setting
should be candled on the seventh or eighth day
to check flock fertility and for other problems
that can be detected when “clear”-appearing
eggs are opened and examined for failure to
develop.
There are two peaks of embryo mortality for
chukar eggs (figure 4). The first peak occurs
between 3 to 5 days of incubation and most
mortality is due to a failure to form embryonic
structures or to a defect in embryonic and extraembryonic
organs and tissues.
The second and largest peak in mortality is
generally associated with several critical functions
occurring from the 20th to 24th day. These
functions include: change in position of the embryo
before pipping; utilization of the remaining
albumen; absorption of the yolk sac, and
change from allantoic to pulmonary respiration.