fertile eggs

[1chickimama]

I have 9 chickens and 1 rooster. I'm getting 6-8 eggs a day. They are all fighting for the same box and 1 of my chicks is brooding in that same box. This doesn't seem to bother all the other chicks because they just push her aside and lay their eggs. My brooder rounds up all the eggs and sits on them. I have been collecting the eggs daily but I would like to have babies.
My question is...How do I know if the eggs are fertile?

 

[AlienChick]

If you've got a rooster that is of crowing age, I'd say your eggs are fertile.
Your broody hen will continue to collect any eggs that are laid in her nest.
You may want to put a bunch of eggs in the other nests so the hens will go lay there.
The eggs your broody hen is sitting on should be marked (you can just put a large X on the eggs).
In this way if a new eggs is laid in the nest, you will know and can remove that egg.

 

[1chickimama]

decided to let my hen sit on 3 eggs (hoping they are fertile) After they hatch, do I need to seperate the babies from all the other hens. By the time the eggs are ready to hatch, it will be getting cooler. Will mom take care of them or do I need to bring them indoors until they get their feathers?

 

[llpensinger]

I gather that you have a rooster and have had him for a couple weeks. Mark your 3 eggs, it takes about 21 days for eggs to hatch once she starts to sit, is she sitting on just the 3 cause they usually like to have more under them. They don't start to develop until she starts sitting consistently. You can separate but mom will protect them. Where do you live? It doesn't take them long to get feathers and to increase in size. Depending on you weather you may want to have a heat light on them. I got 4 white leghorns in late March and have a small wooden 'bunny' pen that I put them in I just dangled a light bulb above where they can reach and had them on an enclosed back porch, they did well that way I put them out when they were about 2 months old.

 

[1chickimama]

she's been sitting consitantly for about 4 days...I have 3 marked and check under her everyday for any new eggs and remove them. I'll give it a shot and see how it goes. thanks for the advice...

 

[BLT79]

Hi, we have 4 hens and 1 roo. Our hens just started laying, and our rooster is doing his thing with them. the eggs are still small at this point. Is there a chance the eggs are fertile and I should let them build up to see if a hen with try to sit on them? this is our first time with chickens so any advice and tips is appreciated! thank you all!

 

[sumi]

If the rooster is doing his job and the hens are allowing him to the egg have a pretty good chance of being fertile. You can check by breaking them open on a plate and checking for the little "bull's eye" on the yolk. Some great pics here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

Some hens will go broody within weeks of laying their first eggs, but at this early stage I would rather eat and enjoy their eggs and wait until they've worked out the kinks in their reproductive systems before enticing them to go broody. One method that seems to work fairly well is leaving a few "bait eggs" in a nest box for them. It still depends very much on how prone to broodiness your hens are, but I've had some success with this method and Ive known people who "caught" many a broody this way. If you don't want to sacrifice any eggs you can put some fake eggs or golf balls in the nest for them. This will also encourage them to use the nest boxes instead of laying their eggs elsewhere. Best of luck!

 

[BLT79]

If the rooster is doing his job and the hens are allowing him to the egg have a pretty good chance of being fertile. You can check by breaking them open on a plate and checking for the little "bull's eye" on the yolk. Some great pics here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

Some hens will go broody within weeks of laying their first eggs, but at this early stage I would rather eat and enjoy their eggs and wait until they've worked out the kinks in their reproductive systems before enticing them to go broody. One method that seems to work fairly well is leaving a few "bait eggs" in a nest box for them. It still depends very much on how prone to broodiness your hens are, but I've had some success with this method and Ive known people who "caught" many a broody this way. If you don't want to sacrifice any eggs you can put some fake eggs or golf balls in the nest for them. This will also encourage them to use the nest boxes instead of laying their eggs elsewhere. Best of luck!

the hens don't seem to fight him off too much! the eggs are little still. I have gathered them every day. as soon as I take them out, the ladies all run into the coop! I actually put two wooden eggs in the nest box because they were laying in the corner of the coop. I put the wooden ones in yesterday, and low and behold, this afternoon the eggs were laid in the nest box! chickens learn quickly! wish everything and everyone trained that fast! haha! I would rather not have any chicks hatch out this time of year. I don't want them living in my house all winter long! plus with just starting to get eggs, we are all too eager to collect them, rather than let them sit! we have a half dozen right now! thank you!