How long do hens stay "fertile"?

[glowworm]

The store bought eggs that have potential to hatch are all labeled "fertile eggs". No other grocery store eggs are fertile, therefore will not hatch.

I set 11 eggs last month from my nearby co-op grocery store, Rock Island Brown fertile eggs. I got 6 lively yellow chicks out of it. 2 were clear (un fertile), 3 developed to different stages but didn't hatch.

You can eat fertile eggs, they don't change until they have been warmed 95 F or higher for 24 hours. Fertile eggs are only a 1/2 cell different from unfertile eggs.

 

[dancingbear]

You said you don't want to "risk" eating a fertile egg. What is it you think you're risking by eating a fertile egg? It won't hurt you. It won't taste different.

Are you planning to incubate every fertile egg your hens lay? That would be a LOT of chicks to raise, you'd run out of space pretty quickly unless you have a really big place, and a lot of coops.

If you aren't planning to hatch them all, is it better to let them rot, than to eat them?

I don't mean to offend, but I just don't understand the objection to eating a fertile egg. It seems a shame to waste perfectly good eggs just because you might feel funny.

 

[debadoodledoo]

I am a veggie too and when my hen had chicks I did kinda feel a bit weird eating her sisters eggs but I got over it! Maybe you could give them away or swap them?? would be a shame to waste them. xx

 

[cluckclucker]

ok I had 50 chickens ok but a dog got over and killed 30 and i have 21 hens left and i had about 3 or 4 roosters and they were killed too but my hen has been mating with the others and i've been getting fertile eggs and the roosters were killed last year (about 3 to 4 months ago) but how long do they stay fertile and if they cant stay fertile that long how am i getting fertile eggs is my hen able to fertilze them???? we have no roosters near us!!!

 

[aggiemae]

I think it was from Trade Joe's eggs that were being incubated but they were being sold as fertile eggs. I remember there was a whole thread about it this past summer.

You would have about two weeks, maybe more, if you want to try to hatch the fertile eggs to renew your flock and hopefully get a rooster.

 

[[email protected]]

Usually 2-3weeks unless, of course that rooster visits your ladies again. He will certainly try but it won't hurt you to eat fertilized eggs as long as those hens don't set on them. The chicks don't grow unless the eggs are incubated.

 

[[email protected]]

She can if she is a hermaphrodite and has both male and female organs. This is rare but it does happen in chickens. I have had one. She was my only chicken at the time and no other chickens were around. She layed fertilized eggs. My vet said she was a hermaphrodite.

 

[cluckclucker]

When i was reading it i was thinking WHAT!!!!!!!!!! HENS CAN FERTILZE THEM SELF!!!!! UHHUH So what your saying is shes a part rooster?!?!? And so she can fertize other hens or just her self?!?