How to tell if an egg is fertile?

[PirateGirl]

Or if you crack an egg into a bowl you can often tell by looking at the yolk of the egg is fertile or not. If it is fertile, your rooster has been mating with your hen and there’s a good chance most of the eggs she lays are also in fact fertile.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Or if you crack an egg into a bowl you can often tell by looking at the yolk of the egg is fertile or not. If it is fertile, your rooster has been mating with your hen and there’s a good chance most of the eggs she lays are also in fact fertile.

But, yk, if you want to hatch it, it isn't the best method.

 

[Owenp_2]

Or if you crack an egg into a bowl you can often tell by looking at the yolk of the egg is fertile or not. If it is fertile, your rooster has been mating with your hen and there’s a good chance most of the eggs she lays are also in fact fertile.

What will ir look like a bullseye?

 

[Owenp_2]

But, yk, if you want to hatch it, it isn't the best method.

I wonder why?
I would have thought that if you tried to scramble it for three weeks it should hatch.
lol

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I wonder why?
I would have thought that if you tried to scramble it for three weeks it should hatch.
lol

 

[mcdze]

i have barred rocks so the eggs are really opaque brown .. if you got a rooster thats really active chances are 'most' of your eggs will be fertile, but there may be one of your hens he doesnt like or doesnt like him .. so there can be duds .. when you really know your girls you may be able to identify those later on, because believe it or not, every chicken lays its own unique looking egg .. anyway to candle those brown eggs good you need a powerful led light and a TP tube .. after 7-8 days incubating any that candle 'clear' looking are duds, any that have a darker mass anywhere are usually good at that point, a few may die later but its 'real' hard to tell on those with really brown eggs .. towards the last week the eggs will almost be solid dark mass minus air pocket if theyre good .. if you got one that looks the same as the first week candling, it died ...

 

[PioneerChicks]

To test for fertility you can crack the egg into a bowl and look for the bullseye. Maybe somebody else can post pictures cause I don't have any.

 

[Owenp_2]

To test for fertility you can crack the egg into a bowl and look for the bullseye. Maybe somebody else can post pictures cause I don't have any.

Okay will do!

 

[Owenp_2]

i have barred rocks so the eggs are really opaque brown .. if you got a rooster thats really active chances are 'most' of your eggs will be fertile, but there may be one of your hens he doesnt like or doesnt like him .. so there can be duds .. when you really know your girls you may be able to identify those later on, because believe it or not, every chicken lays its own unique looking egg .. anyway to candle those brown eggs good you need a powerful led light and a TP tube .. after 7-8 days incubating any that candle 'clear' looking are duds, any that have a darker mass anywhere are usually good at that point, a few may die later but its 'real' hard to tell on those with really brown eggs .. towards the last week the eggs will almost be solid dark mass minus air pocket if theyre good .. if you got one that looks the same as the first week candling, it died ...

I can tell the difference in most of the eggs, ill incubate and find out.

 

[poultryprofessor]

You really only have two options:
1) Incubate for about a week, then candle and look for veins
2) Break out eggs and look at the little white spot on the yolk. Fertile eggs will have a larger spot - it may be an open ring, solid ring, or bullseye. Regardless, should be about 4-5 mm in diameter. Infertile eggs will have a small spot - usually solid, but irregular looking. This will only be about 2mm in diameter.

For a visual:

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Assuming you have fewer than 10 hens per rooster, he should be able to cover them all. After introducing a new rooster to a set of hens, I will wait a week or so to start collecting eggs for incubation. You can spot-check for fertility by breaking out a set of eggs. If I break out all of my eggs from one day and they are all fertile, I can be reasonably sure my rooster is doing his job and the next day's eggs will also be fertile.