Are these eggs fertilized?

[LexiLou27]

Not quite sure how to tell if they’re fertilized or not, so how do you do that both by looking at the yolk & candling? (I heard that you can tell better in a black/white photo. Also, has anyone sold/shipped hatching eggs and what is your experience/advice on that?

 

[KathiQuacks]

By looking at the yolk, a non-fertilized egg will have a small, white dot on the yolk, whereas a fertilized egg will have the same dot, but with a distinct, white ring around it - kind of like a bullseye. I can’t see a dot on the first yolk, but the second yolk looks to be unfertilized.

For candling, I find it’s best to candle between day 7 - 10 of incubation, but I’ve been able to see signs of life as early as day 4. You’ll want to candle from the fat end of the egg where the air cell is. If it’s non-fertilized / fertilized but not developing, the egg will appear to be yellow / orange the whole way through. If it’s fertilized and developing, you’ll be able to see red veins branching throughout the egg. The veins and embryo will slowly fill the egg, and eventually it’ll be too dark to see much of anything.

I can’t answer the selling / shipping eggs question, so sorry.

 

[LexiLou27]

Alright, thank you! I have lots of questions and lots to learn still.

 

[KathiQuacks]

Alright, thank you! I have lots of questions and lots to learn still.

Feel free to ask all the questions in the world! I and many others will be happy to answer.

 

[MamaPoult]

Sometimes I have to take a fork and flip the egg over to see it since sometimes it wont be right on top

 

[LexiLou27]

I also have another question @KathiQuacks , can I leave the eggs at room temp for the first week after collecting to see if they develop before incubating them?

 

[KathiQuacks]

I also have another question @KathiQuacks , can I leave the eggs at room temp for the first week after collecting to see if they develop before incubating them?

No, eggs will not develop unless you incubate them. If you candled after a week of sitting out, the egg would look no different from any other egg.

You can still, however, store eggs prior to incubation, if you’d like, so you may incubate many eggs all at once. Room temperature can work, but it’s best to store between 55 - 65°F, pointy side of the egg down, and store them for up to 10 days. Storing any longer can affect hatchability.

 

[LexiLou27]

Would storing the eggs & building up a supply of them before incubating be okay since they would hatch many days apart?

 

[KathiQuacks]

Would storing the eggs & building up a supply of them before incubating be okay since they would hatch many days apart?

I feel you’re still a bit confused on how incubation works

The egg sits in stasis until you incubate it. The duckling will not develop AT ALL until you incubate it. You could have a freshly laid egg, and an egg laid 10 days ago, if you start incubating them at the same time, they will hatch at the same time. How far apart the eggs were laid does not matter. The only reason they’d hatch many days apart, is if you started their incubation many days apart.

I highly recommend storing eggs, so all the ducklings will hatch together. It’s the same thing a mother hen does in nature, too.

 

[LexiLou27]

Okay thank you