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Can you tell if an egg is fertilized

post #1 of 9
4/4/12 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 

Let me give you a quick background.  Short story.  My friend, Lana and I always wanted chickens.  I have a coop in my yard (prior owners) and Lana lives 1 mile away.  On a whim, we decide that we're finally getting chickens.  We have 12 and they are 3 weeks old today.  Like a proud Mumma, we have:

Big Bertha, Mr. Schneider, Cupcake, Mase, Rosie, Brownie, Ice Cream, Gladys, Mabel, Stella, NitWit and one un named still.  Not sure if we have a rooster yet or not.

 

I have a ? and I am embarrassed to even put it in print b/c it's so ridiculous.  How do you know if an egg is fertilized?  I expect we'll get a lot of eggs eventually and if we do have a rooster how will we know?

 

I am reading books left & right & honestly, cannot find the answer to this ?.

 

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post #2 of 9
4/4/12 at 12:23pm

Hello!

 

Good question.....When you crack one of your eggs open, you will see a very small white shadow of a speck.  (Or dot.)  This is often called the bullseye, and it indicates the egg is fertile.

 

Just to clarify, this white, shadowy speck will be on the yolk.

Proud owner of some nice show quality Buckeyes and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks.  I love gardening and being outdoors.  I'm lucky to have a great family, and two cute dogs.  I live out in the country on six wooded acres and it's just paradise!  (Except the mortgage payment and bills, of course)

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Proud owner of some nice show quality Buckeyes and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks.  I love gardening and being outdoors.  I'm lucky to have a great family, and two cute dogs.  I live out in the country on six wooded acres and it's just paradise!  (Except the mortgage payment and bills, of course)

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post #3 of 9
4/4/12 at 12:35pm
447

This is what you're looking for.

Some clearer photos can be found here: How to Tell a Fertile vs INfertile Egg (Pictures) .
Chance favors the prepared mind.
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Chance favors the prepared mind.
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post #4 of 9
4/4/12 at 12:48pm

LL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucky to have an awesome wife.  Father to three boys.  As for animals...rabbits, chickens and goats, oh my!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucky to have an awesome wife.  Father to three boys.  As for animals...rabbits, chickens and goats, oh my!
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post #5 of 9
4/4/12 at 2:30pm

 frow.gif & welcome-byc.gif from Alabama. Glad you joined us. 

Dorothy: The woman keeps a chicken in her home, how normal can she be?
Rose: I kept a chicken in my home.
Dorothy: You see my point?
The Golden Girls "Long Day's Journey Into Marinara"

 

Check out my Blog: The Country Chick                          And be sure to check out our soap shop on Etsy, here.

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Dorothy: The woman keeps a chicken in her home, how normal can she be?
Rose: I kept a chicken in my home.
Dorothy: You see my point?
The Golden Girls "Long Day's Journey Into Marinara"

 

Check out my Blog: The Country Chick                          And be sure to check out our soap shop on Etsy, here.

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post #6 of 9
4/4/12 at 2:33pm

The only way (that I know of) is to crack the egg open and see if you can see a little dot somewhere in the yoke. 

 

Good luck and

 

welcome.jpg

  AnnElise Clark

 

~Chickens are like potato chips, you can't just have one!~ 

 

Silver Laced Wyandotte's, Silkies, Ameraucana's, Easter Egger's, Belgian d'anvers, Leghorns, California Whites, Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, one Black Jersey Giant rooster, Guinea's, Ducks, and one Sweetgrass turkey tom. 

 

 

 

 

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  AnnElise Clark

 

~Chickens are like potato chips, you can't just have one!~ 

 

Silver Laced Wyandotte's, Silkies, Ameraucana's, Easter Egger's, Belgian d'anvers, Leghorns, California Whites, Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons, one Black Jersey Giant rooster, Guinea's, Ducks, and one Sweetgrass turkey tom. 

 

 

 

 

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post #7 of 9
4/4/12 at 4:08pm
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan big_smile.png

the blastoderm on fertile eggs is also often called a bullseye

Home of the world's cutest dachshund, one crazy blue heeler, two cats,
              one fat pony, and many (but not too many!) chickens

              Can anyone tell me, how many are too many chickens?

 



My Chickens
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/1muttsfans-chickens
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Home of the world's cutest dachshund, one crazy blue heeler, two cats,
              one fat pony, and many (but not too many!) chickens

              Can anyone tell me, how many are too many chickens?

 



My Chickens
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/1muttsfans-chickens
Reply
post #8 of 9
4/4/12 at 6:01pm

WelcometoBYC.gif

 Crested Ducks                     Common Chicken Practices          Learn more about Avian Influenza

 

 

 
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
— Maya Angelou

 

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 Crested Ducks                     Common Chicken Practices          Learn more about Avian Influenza

 

 

 
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
— Maya Angelou

 

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post #9 of 9
4/4/12 at 6:49pm
Hi and welcome-byc.gif from Ohio. So glad you joined. thumbsup.gif

TIME is the best thing to spend on a child!
Always calibrate your hygrometer before you incubate!!

Home to Black East Indies, Mandarins, Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock, Golden Buffs, Welsummers, Ameraucanas, Black Australorp, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Two Weimaraners, Two beautiful daughters and a great DH who builds whatever I need!

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TIME is the best thing to spend on a child!
Always calibrate your hygrometer before you incubate!!

Home to Black East Indies, Mandarins, Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock, Golden Buffs, Welsummers, Ameraucanas, Black Australorp, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Two Weimaraners, Two beautiful daughters and a great DH who builds whatever I need!

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