Broodies sitting on eggs of various ages - which eggs are fresh?

[Kalimani]

Hi All,
I've been away for two weeks, during which time 4 of my hens decided to go broody. For some reason the person looking after them did not notice, so not too sure when they actually started sitting. Apparently there were very few eggs laid while I was gone (they were being laid, but they are under the broodies!).
Anyway...
So the hens seem to have been mostly laying in the same boxes as the broodies.
2 issues:
1. I don't really want more chickens. But, if the eggs are already quite far developed, I don't have the heart to destroy them (but maybe I should, just need to get over it)
2. There must be some fresh eggs laid yesterday or today by the other 8 hens. I'd like to rescue those to eat. At what stage are they too gross to eat? (Pretty sure all eggs are fertilised)

I've looked into the candling thing, made a makeshift torch/toilet paper roll candler, have today's egg as reference (clear all the way through). Will have a go, although at this stage I'm not too sure what I'm looking at, despite looking at countless pics on the net. Mostly since I don't know how old the eggs are, so difficult to compare. Not sure whether I'm looking at the yolk or whether it is an embryo!

 

[Shadowfire]

1. If the eggs are about two days old the viable ones will have a beating heart, and if you don't have space for them you can find someone to re-home the chicks or chickens once they hatch.
2. A good method is to float the eggs in a bucket of water and see how many sink (Fresh eggs will sink on their side, eggs three days old or more will sink but have the tip pointing up, and eggs a week old will float). However if there are babies inside you can't do that without hurting them; try candling the eggs to see if there's something inside. Get a high-quality, bright flashlight and go into the coop at night so they will be calm- then take one egg, fat side up, and suspend it over the flashlight. Eggs that are 3-4 days old and viable will be filled with yellow liquid and red veins and you may see a little pink blob bobbing around. If the egg does not have anything inside and it does't stink, you can test it with water and see if it floats. If the egg has muddled contents or an irregular red ring, the chick is dead and you must dispose of the egg. That rhymes a little bit but it wasn't supposed to.

Good luck! I hope this helps.

 

[Kalimani]

1. If the eggs are about two days old the viable ones will have a beating heart, and if you don't have space for them you can find someone to re-home the chicks or chickens once they hatch.
2. A good method is to float the eggs in a bucket of water and see how many sink (Fresh eggs will sink on their side, eggs three days old or more will sink but have the tip pointing up, and eggs a week old will float). However if there are babies inside you can't do that without hurting them; try candling the eggs to see if there's something inside. Get a high-quality, bright flashlight and go into the coop at night so they will be calm- then take one egg, fat side up, and suspend it over the flashlight. Eggs that are 3-4 days old and viable will be filled with yellow liquid and red veins and you may see a little pink blob bobbing around. If the egg does not have anything inside and it does't stink, you can test it with water and see if it floats. If the egg has muddled contents or an irregular red ring, the chick is dead and you must dispose of the egg. That rhymes a little bit but it wasn't supposed to.

Good luck! I hope this helps.

Thank you!
I tried the candling, some eggs clearly had no action, so have taken those out and will test in water.
Some have visible veins and faint dark blobs, and some have very visible veins, and clearly moving blob, so presumably more developed. I’ve marked them according to my amateur guess of age, and put them back under the hens. In retrospect, I should have divided them up and put same age eggs under each chicken so that they hatch at the same time under their respective hens (duh). Will do so tomorrow
Quite fascinating, this candling business. Once I saw movement, I knew there was no way I could get rid of them. So will have to find them a home when the time comes.
Thanks again for your advice!

 

[Shadowfire]

Your welcome. It's all right if the eggs are a few days apart, because after the chicks hatch, the broody hen will usually wait for stragglers before taking her hatchlings out to explore. Also, if the egg has been under the hen for more than a day, don't eat it.