how to tell if an egg is fertile?

[theron]

How can you tell if an egg is fertile? I cracked open ten eggs and they all had a white dot on the yolk. if that is how to tell if the egg is fertile than i have 100% fertility! I might even try hatching a few eggs to see what I get. The rooster is very sweet and i personally have never seen him make the move on the hens. He even helps build their nests and sits on the eggs if the hens are off too long. This is Big Bird, the rooster:

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

All eggs will have a white dot on them. The difference is, in a fertile egg, the dod is more like a bullseye.

Here's a link with pictures: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

 

[suebee]

The only way you can tell without BREAKING them is to let the broody hen sit on them, or use an incubator. Make sure you put all the eggs under her at one time and don't add any later. Candle them around 8-10 days. You'll see veins and a dark spot where the chick is forming. If you don't see any veins by day 12, toss those out. If she sits on an unfertilized egg for weeks, it could explode.

Big bird is gorgeous and I love your story about him sitting!

 

[speckledhen]

The white dot is on all eggs. If it looks like this, below, it's fertile:

 

[raimnel]

Quote:
????? u mean, The only way you can tell with out CRACKING them is to let the broody hen sit on them, or use an incubator.
other wise crack it and look for the bulls eye like in the post from speckled hen.

Speckled hen incase noone has ever told you, you take a good picture of an egg.

 

[theron]

all of the eggs have a bulls-eye appearance. Also, when I went back outside to the chicken coop, Big Bird was mating with my favorite hen, Midnight. I guess since I have not seen Big Bird mating before, I thought he was too much of a gentleman and his feet are all crooked due to incubator problems. So yippee!!!!

 

[speckledhen]

They probably are all fertile if you have a healthy rooster. The egg in that pic was probably my Lexie's first fertile egg. The rooster took five months to produce any, he was such a gentleman! That was a long five months!

 

[suebee]

Quote:
Oops, I meant to say "breaking them", not "hatching them". Must be the time change, my mind is gone.