How to know if they are fertilized

[happymorrows]

I have a few Buff Orps trying to go broody on me. How do I know if the eggs under them are fertilized? The roo that would have been the daddy (I just rehomed him on Friday) was only 8mo old and was hit or miss with the fertilization. If they aren't, what do I do for my broody hens if they are sitting on unfertilized eggs? I want them to be broody at some point, this just might not be the right time.

 

[debilorrah]

The only way to know is take an egg that she isn't sitting on it, break it open and look for the bullseye. Each egg has a white spot on it, a fertilizer egg will have a faint white ring around it making the white spot look like a bullseye.

 

[bock]

✽ ✾ ✿ ❀ ❁ ❃ ❋ :

Quote:
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You can also candle the them. Fertilized eggs have a visible air cell.

All eggs have air cells.​

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
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You can also candle the them. Fertilized eggs have a visible air cell.

All eggs have air cells.

This is correct, all eggs have air cells, it has nothing to do with fertilization.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Here's a link showing how to tell whether the eggs are fertile or not: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

If it were me, I'd buy an egg candler and candle them after she's been sitting on them for a couple weeks. By then it'd be quite obvious which eggs will hatch and which won't.

 

[happymorrows]

Thanks! That link was helpful. I always thought they had to have that little RED dot to be fertile. I didn't realize that disk meant they were fertile. Learn something new...

 

[Cowgirl71]

Those red dots are most likely "meat spots." There is no correlation of that with fertile vs. not fertile.

 

[BeccaB00]

hm. Idk. unless you want to candle them after a few days..but I don't really like to upset my hens by taking their eggs to candle when they're setting on them.

But anyways, if you did candle them, at about day 7 or so the eggs will have very visable blood veins running all through them. a SURE sign they're fertile

 

[rancher hicks]

Regardless of whether the egg is in the bator or under a hen it can still be taken out and candled. Then and only then will you be able to tell. If you have eggs you are sure are fertilized you can make a switch with what she has. If not wait a week and then check. Toss the clear eggs just like you would if you were using an incubato.