How do I know when Coturnix eggs are fertile?

[Bettacreek]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Texas A&Ms and Tuxedoes are a little harder to sex, but the beer/observation method works. That's what I did!

Pfft. And I stuck with the easy to sex birds to make life easier. Maybe I should have chosen a prettier variety, I would have had more fun that way!​

 

[possumhunter]

Can't you look for the ring on a quail egg, the same as a chicken egg to check if it has been fertilized? I suppose it would be harder to see, since the yolk is smaller, but seems like the theory is the same.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Yes, yes you can.

 

[worldling]

I'm confused now. I see pictures of chickens and talk about candling and looking for bands.

Are we talking about coturnix quail and eggs, or something else?

 

[jenjscott]

Worldling, If you break the egg and look at the yolk you can see the germinal spot on the yolk If it is infertile, it will be small and irregular. If it is fertile, it will be kind of like a bullseye, with a ring around it, and very uniformly shaped. I have found some of these to be very obvious, and some i still call iffy.

 

[CARS]

Quote:
And by using this method, whether it is fertile or not, it will be in-fertile

 

[jenjscott]

OK, smart alec, it won't be infertile, it will be non-viable.

BUT , you can check for fertility in general., but the only way to check a specific egg without making it non-viable is to incubate it.

 

[CARS]

Don't most people just incubate them and see what happens??? Isn't there a "floating" method too? Seems to me I remember someone setting the egg in warm water but I don't remember if it is suppose to sink or float

 

[Mrs MIA]

Floating just tells you if the egg is old or not. The older it is, the bigger the airsac, the more it floats. Cracking and looking for a bullseye is the only way to know without incubating. I say throw the suckah in the incubator... you'll know in a couple of weeks.