How do I know if an egg is fertile or not

[liz9910]

if you have a hen that is broody or an incubator you can candle the eggs in about 7 days and see if there's any veining. If you have a rooster they are more than likely fertile.

 

[lesat409]

so after 7 days or so of being sat upon we could candle them to see. Can we eat them too even after 7 days of being sat upon? (sorry - I know that is not chicken lingo, I'm still just a new egg)

 

[TwoCrows]

so after 7 days or so of being sat upon we could candle them to see. Can we eat them too even after 7 days of being sat upon? (sorry - I know that is not chicken lingo, I'm still just a new egg)

I personally wouldn't eat an egg that is this far along, but I am sure others have. Keep in mind there is an embryo forming at this stage with brains and other organs growing. It is called "setting" on eggs. But sitting or sat on eggs gets the point across.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Even if they weren't fertile I wouldn't eat them after being incubated for a week... remember they will have been kept at around 100* for that whole week if the broody was doing her job, they aren't going to be good quality and if there is any bacteria in them they have the potential to be pretty nasty.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[lesat409]

Thanks for all the feedback! I surely don't want to eat a rotten egg!

 

[lesjsmith]

Can you candle an egg to see if it is fertile? Thanks.

 

[TwoCrows]

Can you candle an egg to see if it is fertile? Thanks.

You can't tell if any fresh egg is fertile unless you crack it open and look for the bulls eye in the yolk. But if the egg has been incubating, yes you can! Get a very bright flashlight and take the egg into a dark room. Hold the large end up to the flashlight and depending on how many days the egg has been incubating, you should start to see veins at 7 to 8 days, by day 15 there should be a fairly big black blob forming and by day 17, the black blob should fill the entire egg except the air cell at the large end of the egg.