[FIRST TIME] Hen laid eggs

[sus9441]

Hi -

its the first time that my hen laid an egg and I am wondering how to identify if an egg is fertilised and what should I do after identifying a fertilised egg so that baby chicks could be born later.

Thanks.

 

[WalnutHill]

Hi, and welcome.

First off, may I ask if you have a rooster with your hen? Sorry for asking the obvious, but an egg can't hatch if no rooster is mating the hens.

Second, while a pullet egg can hatch, it's generally recommended to wait until her eggs are laid regularly and consistently sized at a medium-large size for her breed. Small pullet eggs and double yolk eggs, eggs with porous or bumpy shells, are not ideal incubation candidates.

There are only two ways home users can identify a fertile egg. One is to break it into a dish, and look at the yolk. On the yolk will be a white spot that is the receptor for sperm. If the egg is not fertile, the spot will be white, and often with irregular edges. If the egg is fertile, the spot will have a bullseye, with a white ring with a dark center. This is where the embryo will develop with incubation. This is an excellent way to check to see if the hen is laying fertile eggs. Of course, once you've determined if the egg is fertile, all you can do is eat it.

The second method is to incubate it, and check back in a week or so to see if it is developing. Rather than trying to incubate and hatch a lone chick, it's advisable to set aside eggs for 10 days or so and set them all at once. Chances are some will be fertile and some may hatch.

Good luck!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Hi -

its the first time that my hen laid an egg and I am wondering how to identify if an egg is fertilised and what should I do after identifying a fertilised egg so that baby chicks could be born later.

Thanks.

Hi there! Welcome. Exciting isn't it? Like has been said, you do want to give them a little time to grow in size and for the pullet to lay regulary. You can tell by cracking open the egg and looking for the bullseye. This should help you:

 

[sus9441]

There are roosters. For the incubation, do you have to buy the machine? or what..... because i dont think my hen would sit on her eggs during daytime?

Also, is it safe to leave the egg alone for so long? Wouldn't it rot?

 

[AmyLynn2374]

There are roosters. For the incubation, do you have to buy the machine? or what.....?

It helps to have an incubator. You can buy one or if you are talented enough (I'm not) you can build your own. Plenty of people use DIY incubators.

 

[WalnutHill]

There are roosters. For the incubation, do you have to buy the machine? or what..... because i dont think my hen would sit on her eggs during daytime?

Also, is it safe to leave the egg alone for so long? Wouldn't it rot?

An incubator will definitely make your life easier. Ask around and see if you can borrow one first, or build your own with plans, or if you have the cash, buy one that is ready to use.

The eggs won't rot. People think eggs spoil quickly, but they don't. Mama hens save up eggs for a week and a half to two weeks before setting on them to hatch. You can do the same. Keep them out of the fridge and out of the sun, in a cool dark place where they won't get broken. I set them on a table in my office. They hatch out just fine.

 

[sus9441]

The mother hen isn't sitting on the eggs she laid. So I took the eggs inside the house and put in the box. I'm waiting for the incubator to arrive.

Do you think it'll still be effective (like growing to a chick) if I leave the egg without incubating it for a few days?

Thanks.

 

[WalnutHill]

Yes! Just keep them in a cooler place where the sun won't shine on them. In a carton on a tile or concrete floor if you have one, or in the basement, are ideal. I currently have about 40 eggs gathered since April 21 that will be going into the incubator later this week.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

The mother hen isn't sitting on the eggs she laid. So I took the eggs inside the house and put in the box. I'm waiting for the incubator to arrive.

Do you think it'll still be effective (like growing to a chick) if I leave the egg without incubating it for a few days?

Thanks.

If you are asking if they will they still develop if they sit a few days, then yes. When we collect eggs for incubation we collect them daily, store them in a cool place (many use the 50-60F guidelines others leave them on a counter) in cartons and tilt the cartons three times a day. It's best only to go a week after they lay to hold/store eggs. Experts will tell you under 10 days and just about everyone agrees that after 2 weeks the hatch rate starts to drastically decrease.

 

[sus9441]

After incubation, what do I do with the non-fertilised eggs?
Can I store it in the fridge afterwards? or not?