How to Tell a Fertile vs INfertile Egg (Pictures)

[bruceha2000]

Clarification:
I have read that if a fertilized egg is not kept at or above 105F it will not develop. I presume that means if you kept a fertilized egg in the basement at 50F for a week, the bulls eye would look no different than the bulls eye from one laid 1 minute ago.

So is there a way to have a 'sticky' at the top of each page?
- No, you can not tell if an egg is fertile without breaking it open
- No, a blood spot does NOT mean or even suggest that an egg is fertile
- No, you can not put a fertile egg back in the shell and hatch it.

It would save a lot of reading for those who just found this great thread

 

[speckledhen]

Clarification:
I have read that if a fertilized egg is not kept at or above 105F it will not develop. I presume that means if you kept a fertilized egg in the basement at 50F for a week, the bulls eye would look no different than the bulls eye from one laid 1 minute ago.

So is there a way to have a 'sticky' at the top of each page?
- No, you can not tell if an egg is fertile without breaking it open
- No, a blood spot does NOT mean or even suggest that an egg is fertile
- No, you can not put a fertile egg back in the shell and hatch it.

It would save a lot of reading for those who just found this great thread

105*? An egg kept at that temperature won't develop at all. Extreme heat will kill it. Was that a typo?

If an egg is properly stored in prep for hatching, at a cool temperature, no higher than 70*, no lower than around 50*, for a week or two, the bullseye will look like a bullseye in a fertile just-laid egg.

No, sorry, no way to keep sticky at the top of each page.

 

[speckledhen]

How long after the egg is laid will the bullseye appear if the egg is fertile?
Will the bullseye still be visible if the eggs have been refrigerated for a couple of days?

Do I need any special light source to see these dots/bullseye or is natural light fine?

when does eggs become fertile after first time bred. Is the next egg laid fertle or does this take a while ,a few days or weeks?

The bullseye is apparent immediately after being laid. Yes, it is still visible after being refrigerated. No special light needed, just can't be glarey.

An egg will be fertile within a couple of days after a successful mating and the hen will stay fertile for usually two to three weeks.

 

[Nomibear]

That's amazing to me that from one mating, the eggs will be fertile for 2 weeks!

 

[speckledhen]

I say "usually" because it can run out a bit sooner or even later, but most of the time, it stays for 2-3 weeks.

 

[oletymer]

Silly u use those plastic easter eggs.....eyes a rollin !

 

[nova022]

This is a great thread. Thanks for all the information.

 

[s914934]

Okay, I have access to an incubator and 7 out of my 9 little ladies are molting. So, I decided to make cookies tonight to determine if the two layers I have now, are laying gold.
So, my first question is, are these fertile? I think the first is because it has the ring but the second is hard to tell as it has two little white dots next to one another.
Then my second question is, how do you keep them good while collecting enough for the incubator? I saw it in a book from the library but had to return the book and never got to the part that said how to keep them.
Thank you!!

 

[jrosemoore]

Okay, I have access to an incubator and 7 out of my 9 little ladies are molting. So, I decided to make cookies tonight to determine if the two layers I have now, are laying gold.
So, my first question is, are these fertile? I think the first is because it has the ring but the second is hard to tell as it has two little white dots next to one another.
Then my second question is, how do you keep them good while collecting enough for the incubator? I saw it in a book from the library but had to return the book and never got to the part that said how to keep them.
Thank you!!

I would say yes but it is hard to tell because of the flash. Not sure if I see the bullseye or not.

I love this thread. I always check my eggs when I cook in the morning now. That rooster better be doing his job!

 

[BoereMeisie]

Hello! After reading this entire thread through, I was so anxious to check my eggs this morning that I cracked two of yesterday's eggs open for my hubby's breakfast (I usually meticulously arrange them as they are collected to always eat them in the order they were brought in!). Anyway, I added a Rhode Island Red rooster and hen to my flock of 3 on Saturday, and this is what I found this morning... I am almost sure that they are fertilized, but just want a "second opinion"... A third and a fourth and a fith also welcome

Egg number 1 won't be a surprise if fertile, as the Rhode Island Red hen came from a flock with 3 RIR roosters present. This is it:

The second is from one of my own hens (commercial white layer), who hasn't been around a rooster for around 5 weeks before Saturday when I added Captain Morgan, my RIR to the flock:

They look fertile from what I've learned in this thread (thank you so much by the way!) But any opinions are welcome. I would like to start incubating a "test run batch" of all my eggs collected until sunday (should be about 6-9 from my 4 ladies) in my home-made incubator