HELP! How do I know if my eggs are still good?

[greenthing]

Hi. I'm really new at this and need a little help.

I have a hen that decided to go broody about 15 days ago. I convinced my mom to leave her alone and let her sit on the eggs and try to hatch them. Well, I started searching the internet for information about what you should do and curiosity got the best of me. So, I candled all the eggs Saturday night. One problem, I don't have a clue what I'm looking for, I’ve looked at the pictures on the internet but it’s just not the same.

MAIN QUESTION: Has the egg gone bad if there is a large air sac at the top of the egg and the rest of the egg is completely dark?

Only in 2 of the eggs am I confident that I saw movement.

I'm also not sure when she started brooding so I don't know how old the eggs are. Plus I just realized that she has been stealing eggs and adding them to her clutch so no telling what days all the eggs are on.

I was never planning on reproducing from my own flock but now I have gotten my hopes up and really would love to get even just one chick. I know that there is a good possibility of the eggs being fertilized and growing because somehow I got an egg the other day that when I broke it open, it had about a 12 day old developed chick in it (I was really upset).

 

[Josie]

It sounds like they are pretty far along. That is why they are dark. Congratulations!
As long as they are not smelling or leaking leave them alone. Sometimes the chicks inside do not move because they are sleeping, or you just miss it.

 

[greenthing]

Thanks that makes me feel a little better. I'm going to be watching her really closely these next few days.