Can you tell if eggs are fertile by candling them?

[dianneS]

I'm just wondering if there is any way to tell if eggs are fertile before setting them or is it just a crap shoot?

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

I don't think so. Not before they are several days in the incubator anyway. If you candle and egg before its set it just looks like completely clear inside.

If you crack one open you can tell if it is fertile or not, but you might not want to waste an egg. Fertile eggs will have a little bullseye on the surface of the yolk somewhere. Infertile eggs just have a dot with no ring around it.

 

[ranchhand]

Here's a link to how to tell, but you have to break the egg open. If I'm setting eggs from here I'll check for a few days before I set them. Obviously, I don't do that with shipped eggs.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

Happy incubating!

 

[cmom]

I agree there is no way to tell without breaking the eggs open and looking for the bulls eye in the yolk.