Checking for fertility?

[sussexgal]

Good Morning,

I'm new to hatching and this is totally the wrong time of the year for hatching out chicks here in central NY, but that doesn't stop me from prerusing the sites that have hatching eggs for sale

I've read a number of ads that say 'fertility tested' or 'checked for fertility'.... how does a person go about doing that? Are eggs cracked open and the yolks examined for the little donut shape? Or do folks actually hatch out a batch to see.... ?

Thank you

 

[77horses]

They candle the eggs after about 4-7 days, and if there's any veining or signs of life, they put them with the batch of fertile eggs to sell. If they aren't fertile, they don't sell them to people who want to hatch some out!

So when you buy eggs from someone to hatch and they say that they have been tested for fertility, then the eggs are probably a few or more days old.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I test mine by cracking open the eggs and checking for fertility. During the Spring, I also hatch the eggs to check for fertility. But most people crack open the eggs to check.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
They dont do that. They can not incubate eggs for 4-7 days and then stop the incubation process and sell those eggs. The eggs that are sold are never incubated, and held for at most 3 days before shipping.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Some people get others to incubate their eggs for them. As soon as you see veins, that's 'tested fertility'. They wouldn't vein if they weren't fertile.
I currently have 2 dozen + 'testers' in my bator right now.

And FTR, I have no idea what 77 was talking about. When you buy hatching eggs, they aren't 'already started incubating'. They won't vein until they're sat on or popped into a bator. So chances are, however long it took the seller to collect the eggs and ship them, is all the 'older' the eggs are.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
They dont do that. They can not incubate eggs for 4-7 days and then stop the incubation process and sell those eggs. The eggs that are sold are never incubated, and held for at most 3 days before shipping.

Oops!

silly me.

But how could you sell the eggs if you cracked them open???

That makes no sense....

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
They dont do that. They can not incubate eggs for 4-7 days and then stop the incubation process and sell those eggs. The eggs that are sold are never incubated, and held for at most 3 days before shipping.

Oops!

silly me.

But how could you sell the eggs if you cracked them open???

That makes no sense....

This is what they do. Before they sell eggs, they collect eggs to crack open and check the fertility. Then if the fertility is high, they collect eggs to sell.

 

[77horses]

Ohhh! OK, i get it.

Thanks for explaining.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
Agreed.

Collect batch #1, crack open a few to look for 'bulls eyes'. Collect batch #2 for sale...

Or have someone incubate for you or incubate yourself. That's 100% no guess work.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Agreed.

Collect batch #1, crack open a few to look for 'bulls eyes'. Collect batch #2 for sale...

Or have someone incubate for you or incubate yourself. That's 100% no guess work.

In the spring I incubate, but in the fall/winter I crack the eggs open.