Is she a momma!!

[Graciesing2us]

Hi all.
Being a newcomer to breeding chickens, I wondered if anyone could help me out. Is there a way of telling whether any of my girls have been fertilized

 

[Chicken-lovebirdchihuahua]

How many hens do you have with how many roosters??

 

[LilJoe]

Crack open the eggs and inspect the yolk:

Fertile eggs with have a "bullseye"

 

[aart]

I can't see the pic above to fuzzy when zoomed in.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

There is no good way to tell if an egg is fertile except to break it out in a cup or saucer. Of course once you satisfy your curiosity then the egg that you just broke out is not going to hatch but it will make a good breakfast.

 

[aart]

Before I get ready to hatch a batch, I check yolks regularly when I break eggs to eat.
Then you know if the cock/erel is getting the job done.

 

[Graciesing2us]

Thanks everyone. I'm wondering tho do I still collect the eggs or leave them in the nest? If I'm not sure if they're fertilized

 

[aart]

Thanks everyone. I'm wondering tho do I still collect the eggs or leave them in the nest? If I'm not sure if they're fertilized

Do not leave eggs in the nest.
I'm assuming you're thinking that if you do leave them in the nest,
one of the hens will go broody and hatch some new chicks for you?
That's not how it works.

..
Will you use an incubator?
Do you have a plan for the multiple males(~50%) a hatch will produce?

 

[Graciesing2us]

Thanks for replying. It begs the question, from an amateurs point of view, if they are being fertilized then why don't they sit on them? Probably a daft question sorry

 

[aart]

Thanks for replying. It begs the question, from an amateurs point of view, if they are being fertilized then why don't they sit on them? Probably a daft question sorry

Broody is a hormonal thing, it is not prompted by the hen being mated.
They can go broody even if not being mated,
they can be mated and lay fertile eggs and never go broody.
If you really want to hatch chicks, then best to get an incubator.