How to Tell a Fertile vs INfertile Egg (Pictures)

[Speak2Erin]

Thank you! Incubator arrived this afternoon. Set it up, placed the eggs, marked the calendar and fingers crossed!

 

[laircy]

Sorry for something slightly off topic, but seeing all these pictures of egg yolks and their variety of colors raises a question.
Is the health of the chick affected by the color of the yolk?

 

[speckledhen]

Sorry for something slightly off topic, but seeing all these pictures of egg yolks and their variety of colors raises a question.
Is the health of the chick affected by the color of the yolk?

That's a very good question. I don't believe so, per se, but the health of the chick is affected by the health of the parents. So, if a hen's eggs show signs that she is not healthy or has not had a good breeding diet before her egg was collected, that might affect the hatchability of the eggs or the formation or early health of the chick,

 

[enggass]

Sorry as to not read the whole thread and ask a silly question, but will all eggs have at least the single white dot without Bullseye if infertile? Thanks. I suppose I can crack an egg when I get home and look, eh?

 

[speckledhen]

Sorry as to not read the whole thread and ask a silly question, but will all eggs have at least the single white dot without Bullseye if infertile? Thanks. I suppose I can crack an egg when I get home and look, eh?

Yes, all eggs have the blastodisc. If it has been fertilized, it is called a blastoderm and will show the circle around it. Once I had an egg with NINE blastodiscs on it! It was insane. It was from a hatchery Buff Orpington. Not sure what that means, but I counted them on the yolk.


CORRECTION! It was a Delaware not a hatchery hen. Found the thread from 2009. My memory had a glitch, too long ago. So, they would be blastoderms since those eggs were fertile.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/280790/wow-holy-blastoderm-batman-nine-count-em-9\

 

[enggass]

Doubtful...

 

[luckied]

On the topic of fertile vs. non, I have looked this upany times and can not seem to find any information so any help would be appreciated.
Will the shell color ever appear different in color if it mates vs. If it doesn't?
So simply put, would a hen who has never been around roo lay the same color eggs as she would if she was with a roo and mating?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

Yes, the egg shell colour will remain the same. It is a genetic characteristic and is not affected by the mating process but genes from the cockerel will affect the colour of egg shell any pullets hatched from those eggs will lay when they are of age...ie he will contribute to the colour of the next generation's egg shells.....So, if a marans rooster mates with a blue egg laying EE, she will continue to lay blue eggs of the same shade. But, if you hatch those eggs and there are any pullets from them, the dark brown egg laying gene from their father's genetics will combine with the blue from the EE and any new pullets should therefore lay a green or olive coloured egg.

 

[luckied]

Hi

Yes, the egg shell colour will remain the same. It is a genetic characteristic and is not affected by the mating process but genes from the cockerel will affect the colour of egg shell any pullets hatched from those eggs will lay when they are of age...ie he will contribute to the colour of the next generation's egg shells.....So, if a marans rooster mates with a blue egg laying EE, she will continue to lay blue eggs of the same shade. But, if you hatch those eggs and there are any pullets from them, the dark brown egg laying gene from their father's genetics will combine with the blue from the EE and any new pullets should therefore lay a green or olive coloured egg.

thank you so much this was a wonderful & simple explanation. My cockerel is a marans and I'm looking forward to hatching some potential Olive Eggers in the future. (I just need a female marans now so I can get some chocolate eggs, lol)

 

[South OH Chicks]

Fertile? Yay or nay?