How do you check for fertility on a newly laid egg?

[sue3]

How do you check for fertility on a newly laid egg?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

You have to crack the egg open and look for the fertile disc or bulleyes disc with a white spot in the center.....Only other way is to incubate them for a few days and look for veining and embryo...

Look for Speckledhens fertile verses non-fertile egg posts in the search above in blue....

 

[championny]

Fertile eggs will not be as transparent when candling as a unfertile egg. The best way to test this is to use a store bought egg and candle it, then compare to a newly laid egg. If they look the same its not fertile.

That's the method taught to me.

 

[hinkjc]

Fertile eggs will not be as transparent when candling as a unfertile egg.

Not true..all eggs are transparent until they are incubated.

Tuff has it right on the mark. Either break it open to find the blastodisc or incubate. Those are the only ways to verify fertility. And incubation is the only way to verify hatchability.

Jody​

 

[championny]

That is a lesson learned for me then.

I'll have to find that source then and correct them on that.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi!
The best way to check fertility is to incubate the egg.
If it grows, it is fertile.
An alternative is to crack the egg and look for the bullseye.
Bullseye = Fertilized

Lisa

 

[sue3]

I am wondering how do people selling eggs then for hatching know that they are fertile? Just guessing since they have a rooster with the hens or what?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

You have to have a rooster with your hens for fertile eggs....

Hens lay eggs without having to have the rooster it's just they are not fertile..

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Link to Speckledhen's egg fertility thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

 

[hinkjc]

Quote:
From a personal perspective, I set test hatches on all of my breeding pens to confirm fertility before offering eggs. When I am not hatching I do random break open of the eggs to check for the blastodisc. I would imagine most folks do the same that sell hatching eggs.

Jody