I started with 42. It should be noted, however, 11 of the 42 eggs I started with I found in a "rogue nest." The eggs could have been there for two weeks or two days. Also it was the end of January so the temperatures were dropping into the low 30's every night which could also affect the fertility of the eggs. The majority of the 10 eggs I threw out were from the rogue nest but not all.
Of the 32 eggs left all of them have birds inside. I don't know whether the birds are alive or dead... I'd like to hope I don't have any dead inside their egg but it's always a possibility.
Your eggs should be fertile but sometimes the roosters have a hard time performing. Mine was like a teenage boy with stage fright for months. He got the hang of it, though. You can always check the sticky thread and follow the guide to spot fertile eggs. Crack a few open and see. I know when a rooster mates with a hen it's like charging her battery, so to speak. For the next week or so after mating every egg she produces should be fertile. When I started gathering I had 11 hens and 1 rooster and I had pretty good luck.
