Dumb Question About Fertilization

[gfcm]

The 6 hens I just bought were housed with a Roo. So I built an incubator and thought we would try hatching some. The Roo and 5 of the hens are Black Sex Link. The other hen is an Americana. Only four of the hens are laying and all the eggs are brown. Candling is done a 3-5 days after placing the eggs in the incubator, correct? I'm new to this and really don't have a clue! I figured the eggs they lay will probably be fertile for the first two weeks? How old does a Roo have to be to be fertile?

Thanks, in advance!

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
brown eggs are difficult to candle, at 3 to 5 days, almost impossible to tell anything.. that is too soon.. more like 10 to 12 days is better..

I assume you are coasting on the former rooster for your fertility? You do not have a rooster? after a week, the fertility will keep dropping.. I see what you are trying to do.. worth a try..

I always guage a rooster by the pullets of the same breed.. If the pullets start laying eggs at 18 weeks, the roosters should also be ready at the same time..

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

The age thing is really hard to say but if hes the same age as the hens an they are laying then he should be. Yes it takes around 2 weeks for fertility to die off.

 

[dragonjaze]

I would crack a few eggs to check and see if they are fertile or not, rather than relying on incubating them to see.

There's a sticky somewhere with excellent pictures of what you are looking for in fertile eggs.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
cracking eggs is an option if you have a good supply of eggs. in this case, the eggs are extremely limited..

Just put them all into the incubator, forget about candling or checking for fertility at all, and let them go full term.. the one you crack open might have been the only fertile one you had..

 

[gfcm]

I do not have a rooster, so yes; I'm coasting on the former rooster. I think I'm going to go ahead and put them in the incubator today. All the eggs are under a week old and I have nothing to lose. The temp seems to be holding between 99 and 101. I've been doing test run since yesterday morning. When I marked the eggs, I also marked the dates laid on them just for my own information.

Thank you for your responses!

 

[hennypenny99]

Good luck, I hope they will hatch for you. Another cheap option might be to buy some farm fresh eggs from someone. If you aren't set on a certain breed and just want some good laying chickens you can probably find someone in your area that sells fresh eggs for eating but will also be good for hatching. I bought 2 dozen for $3. I just asked the lady if she had roosters. Most of the eggs were brown but there was an olive egg, a blue egg, and a white egg in the group. I can't see in the brown eggs but I can see in the others and so far the look like they are coming along nicely. Good Luck!

 

[gfcm]

Thanks HennyPenny!

I found a lady nearby, but she only has 2 roosters for 140 hens! Yikes! Can't be that fertile, I'm thinking. I'll keep looking though.

 

[mommyofthree]

That's not a dumb question about fertilization at all. My SIL was over the other day and she thought that eggs were fertilized AFTER they were laid. She wanted to know if I could prevent my eggs from being fertilized if I collected them right away.

 

[gfcm]

Oh, wow! lol
I guess if you just don't know...