When you incubate eggs do they have to be fertile??

[12chickenlover3]

I never incubated eggs before, do they have to be fertile in order to hatch? And if so how do you tell if they are fertile?


THANKS

 

[Jarrett Dobbins]

I never incubated eggs before, do they have to be fertile in order to hatch? And if so how do you tell if they are fertile?


THANKS

Yes, they must be fertile in order to hatch. You cannot tell whether or not an egg is fertile just by looking at it, however, after about 5-8 days in the incubator you can tell if the egg is fertile or not by candling the egg. If you have an older rooster in the flock, the chances of you having fertile eggs are pretty high

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Your welcome to my notes and here is a paste from them! Hatching Eggs 101

Is it Fertile or Infertile?​

To check the fertility, simply break an egg in a bowl. Find the white spot on the yolk. If you do not, use a spoon to gently flip the yolk over until you find it.


If the egg is fertile, the white mark will be nearly perfectly round and in the center it will be yellow;
it will resemble a donut. If it is infertile, the white mark will not be very round, and in most cases, smaller than that of the fertile mark. If the egg is not fertile, the 'white mark' is called a "blastodisc". If the egg is fertile, the 'white mark' it is called a "blastoderm", and this means that cell division, because of fertilization, occurred. A link with more pics of fertile vs Non Eggs! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures​