Due to the fluctuating nature of the poultry market, including the need for chicks, there is often a necessity to extend the storage time of hatching eggs. Commonly they are stored at the farm to reduce the cost of daily collection, while hatcheries collect a large number of eggs to fill the entire incubator at once. In the case of hen eggs, eggs stored for three to seven days are usually used for incubation. In the case of quail eggs, there are no specific recommendations in this respect, while the common perception is that they “age” differently from hen eggs and stay fresh longer. The study was aimed to determine the maximum eggs storage time after which it is possible to obtain full-quality chicks. seven hundred and fifty six eggs of Japanese quail hatching eggs were collected at 4-day intervals for 52 days dividing them into 14 groups of 54 eggs (6 replications in each). Consecutive batches of eggs were stored (at physiological zero conditions) for 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48 and 52 days, respectively; the control group consisted of fresh, unstored eggs. Fifty two days after the first eggs were collected, all groups, including the control one, were incubated under species-specific conditions. The water loss of eggs during the incubation as well as hatching results were determined. The weight and quality of hatchlings were evaluated.