Fertile ?

[confederatemule]

I had a rooster, a friend gave me 3 two year old hens that had never been with a rooster.
I have 2 questions.
[1] How can I tell if an egg is fertile?
[2] How much time will lapse before a fertile egg will appear?

Thanks,

Mule

 

[lazy gardener]

For the best pictures of fertile/infertile eggs, go to hatching 101 in the learning center. You can also do a thread search in the search bar at the top of the page. Just type in your question, and you'll find lots of info to answer your questions.

 

[chickenychicken]

I agree.
To tell if an egg is fertile you can candle it with a flash light or a candle if you want...but it works better with a very bright flash light, then you hold the egg and point the light into the bottom of the egg and see if there's little lines inside and a little chick. You can candle a egg right away since the egg has already been fertilized and has been layed.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't think it's possible to see the germoblast in an egg with a standard flash light. But, by day 3, you should be able to tell. The yolk will take on a much more orange color, even before you see the vascular system or the embryo. I love to candle real early, to see those first signs of life. And with the right egg, and a good flash light, you can even see the heart beating. How incredibly cool is that?????

 

[Mrs. K]

Maybe I am not reading this right, but I think the original poster had a different question than you above are answering, if so, perhaps this might help, but I might have it wrong too.

The advice about going and looking at fertile eggs pictures is good, because if you don't know what you are looking for it can be tricky to tell if the egg is fertile. I keep a little tally sheet on counter, and as I use eggs, I check to see if they are fertile... when they are running close to 100% fertile, then you can set those eggs pretty confidently.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check my response in this thread. I think it answers your questions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/987042/egg-question