hatching eggs

[gracie58]

how do i know if the egg is going to turn to a chick, can i tell when they are first layed or do i have to wait a couples of days to check them,

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If the hen is with a rooster and the ratio of hens to roosters is 12:1 or lower, there's about a 90% chance they're viable.
You should wait a week after beginning incubation and candle to see if there's development.
You can open eggs to view the blastoderm to see if they've mated.

 

[kada6305]

I have 1 rooster 6 hens. What I do is collect the eggs day before crack them opened and I can see who has fertile eggs. the next day or 2 I collect the eggs for incubation. I currently have 8 eggs in the incubator 100% of the eggs were fertilized that I cracked opened. The chickens are completely free ranged during the day. I candle n days 7,14 and 18. But you can see development usually around day 4. I dont throw away any eggs until day 14 unless there is a blood ring.