call me stupid if you want

[maxxsmommy]

but i am going to get a rooster soon and i have 4 hens. none are laying yet but when they do how do I know which eggs are fertile?? how can i tell??

 

[emys]

Unless your rooster is defective they all will be. With only 4 hens, I would try to find an older rooster look for someone who wants to retire one from their breeding flock. (Don't forget to quarantine!) Good luck.

 

[maxxsmommy]

ok so pretty much just assume all are fertile and leave them be? and If i want eggs for eating should i just let him mate with like 2 hens and keep the other 2 away from him?

sorry if i sound dumb, I've never had chickens up to the point of where they were laying. (my others died when they were around 4 months old due to a raccoon)...

 

[Illia]

You can eat all the fertile eggs you want and no harm will be done. As long as they aren't under proper heat, around 98-101 degrees and proper humidity for more than 2 days, you're perfectly fine.

I know how ya feel on the raccoon issue.

 

[Fowl97]

No, you can eat fertilized eggs. they are fine to eat and taste no different than a non fertilied egg. people do it all the time

 

[TinyChickenLady]

You can eat them even if they're fertile. Just don't put them in the incubator and then eat them. Not such a good idea. But you can eat a fresh egg whether it's fertile or not.

 

[Nicole01]

You might want to add a few more hens, so your rooster is not too rough. I'd love to have a boy myself, but the hubby says no way! Maybe in a few years I'll talk him into it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There's no difference in fertile or non-fertile for eating except for an extra cell(sperm).
Some people prefer fertile but really there's no difference unless they've been stored above 75 degrees for any length of time.

I agree with emys an older rooster won't be so aggressive. Young ones will ride 4 girls to death (almost) and have them cowering in the corners.

The eggs will also be fertile a couple weeks after the roo is gone.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This thread has photos and good information on how to look for the bull's eye to tell if they are fertile. If you cannot find anything on top, the bulll's eye may be hiding on the bottom of the egg. Just turn it over gently with a spoon. If most of the eggs you open are fertile, most of the ones you don't open are also fertile.

Fertile Egg Photos
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008&p=6