Dark shell question

[BusyBearMama]

Hi, my Dominique in my breeding pen and my barnevelder and my olive egger... The shells on their eggs are so dark. I want to know if they're fertile and the Dom eggs are in the bator. I know eggs are fertile from my other rooster but I'm selling him and hoping that the other guys are doing their job. But I cannot see into the eggs to see veining and I don't have any other monitor. I can see the shape of the air sack and sure I could wait it out but what exactly am I looking for when I look at the eggs for any other signs? I have 5? on day 8? Thanks for any thoughts

 

[ChickenCanoe]

On dark eggs without a high intensity candler, you can only wait till you see a dark mass develop that is usually visible by the end of the second week or later.

If the eggs were fertile when you lost the rooster, they should be fertile for another 2 weeks or more.

 

[BusyBearMama]

I'm specifically looking at the viability of eggs that are from the birds that have been with my other rooster so these were separate. Thank you so maybe day 14-15 ish? I think that I might see something in some of the eggs. My Sussex eggs are so easy to see into this is annoying lol.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I feel your pain. You can't see into Penedesenca eggs either. I don't try.

 

[BusyBearMama]

I feel your pain. You can't see into Penedesenca eggs either. I don't try.

:-/ so do you remove the eggs you think having nothing in them at a point or just ride it out till the end?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If they don't stink or leak, I leave them in.

 

[BusyBearMama]

If they don't stink or leak, I leave them in.

Well we might just be trying that

 

[ChickenCanoe]

In the future, with dark eggs, you can weigh rather than candle.
They should lose about 13% of the weight during incubation, or 0.65% per day.

 

[BusyBearMama]

In the future, with dark eggs, you can weigh rather than candle.
They should lose about 13% of the weight during incubation, or 0.65% per day.

That's an interesting thought thanks