How to tell if an egg is fertile

[ChickenGirl555]

I want to get Black Belgian D’Anvers, breed them, and get a broody to raise the babies. How can I check if they are fertile (what do I look for in candling) and can I used a plain flashlight or something instead of going and buying a candler? Also what do I look for during the incubation when/if I check on them?

 

[JaeG]

The only way to tell is to crack a few open and see if you can see the bullseye on the yolk.

This is an excellent website showing an egg candled daily throughout incubation:
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/incubation-day-1.html

 

[Cyprus]

You can't see any visible signs of fertility without cracking open the egg until at least day 5-6 of incubation.
On day 5-6, you should start to see veining.

Fertility and embryo development is usually apparent by day 5–6, for developing eggs, some veins and a small embryo can be seen inside the egg. If there is no sign of development by day 10, you may discard any "clears". However, sometimes embryos are hard to spot, so some hatchers wait until around day 14 or so, before discarding any undeveloped eggs. When candling, also check for blood rings (showing as a dark ring around the inside of the egg, along the shell, usually roughly in the middle of the egg, and other signs of problems

 

[ChickenGirl555]

How long do the gals keep producing fertile eggs after they mate?

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Will it be like 1-2 eggs before they are fertile? Will they be constantly fertile or just 1-3 will be fore one mating?

 

[JaeG]

The day after the rooster mates with a hen her egg should be fertile. An egg needs to be fertilized at the beginning of the egg making process. Birds can store sperm so even if a rooster is separated from the hens their eggs can still be fertile for at least two weeks.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

The day after the rooster mates with a hen her egg should be fertile. An egg needs to be fertilized at the beginning of the egg making process. Birds can store sperm so even if a rooster is separated from the hens their eggs can still be fertile for at least two weeks.

How can you store fertile eggs and for how long? Because obviously I can’t plan for their broodiness.

 

[JaeG]

You store them in a cool, humid place narrow end down in an egg carton. You'll need to tilt them one way then the other daily just to keep the yolk moving. People tend to set them a week old or less because they lose moisture the longer they sit, and hatchibility reduces the older they are.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

You store them in a cool, humid place narrow end down in an egg carton. You'll need to tilt them one way then the other daily just to keep the yolk moving. People tend to set them a week old or less because they lose moisture the longer they sit, and hatchibility reduces the older they are.

What would be a cold place? Any examples? Temperatures? Surely not the refrigerator?

 

[JaeG]

Ideally 40-50F is given as a good temperature to keep them at and you can keep the humidity in by putting the eggs in a sealed plastic bag. I hatch quail and in the summer there's no way there's anywhere cool enough to store eggs so I try to use them as fresh as possible and it might mean the chicks arrive a day early.