Are these fertilized?

[-chook-]

These are from two different eggs. I gave my cousin some free eggs & she wanted to throw them in the incubator because they were pretty greens lol. Anyways, I had a rooster up until about a week ago. He was young, but I couldn’t keep him because he started crowing (I live in town). I didn’t know if he was doing any fertilization, and I’ve never been good at being able to tell. Are these fertilized? Either of them? I decided to crack some open a couple days later from the same layers. Thanks!

 

[DemeterAD9]

Yup both look to be fertile to me. Unfertilized eggs tend to have a smaller white blob rather than the round bullseye those have.

 

[-chook-]

Yup both look to be fertile to me. Unfertilized eggs tend to have a smaller white blob rather than the round bullseye those have.

That’s what I want to hear!! I told her I didn’t know if even one of the 12 would be fertile. It’ll be cool to hatch eggs from my own flock. I have always bought fertilized eggs rather than hatching from my flock.

 

[DemeterAD9]

That’s what I want to hear!! I told her I didn’t know if even one of the 12 would be fertile. It’ll be cool to hatch eggs from my own flock. I have always bought fertilized eggs rather than hatching from my flock.

Hatching your own is far more fun IMO. It definitely increases the hatch rate too as compared to shipped eggs. IME with shipped eggs it seems they start to develop and then perish within a week or so. You shouldn't get that early embryonic death in fresh eggs that never had to be shipped

Side note: your girls can still lay fertile eggs for a few weeks once the roo is gone. I'm not sure the exact time it takes for his "goods" to run dry but I know it lasts a while in the hens' system.

 

[Tookie]

Probably fertile, but the only way to be 100% is to incubate them!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I can see the bull's eye so those should have been fertilized.

When they mate the male's sperm is stored in a special container near where the egg starts its journey through her internal egg making factory. That stored sperm can remain viable for anywhere from one week to over 3 weeks. That's from the last mating with that specific hen or pullet. Personally I'd be OK incubating the eggs that were laid within two weeks of his last chance and expect a good shot at a decent hatch rate. While longer is possible I would not count on it.

Good luck!

 

[-chook-]

I can see the bull's eye so those should have been fertilized.

When they mate the male's sperm is stored in a special container near where the egg starts its journey through her internal egg making factory. That stored sperm can remain viable for anywhere from one week to over 3 weeks. That's from the last mating with that specific hen or pullet. Personally I'd be OK incubating the eggs that were laid within two weeks of his last chance and expect a good shot at a decent hatch rate. While longer is possible I would not count on it.

Good luck!

Cool! My cousin already put them in the incubator a couple days ago. I just decided to crack some open to see if any even had a chance of being fertile.