The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: deepinthewoods on January 02, 2012, 02:36:59 pm

Title: candling eggs
Post by: deepinthewoods on January 02, 2012, 02:36:59 pm

could i get some help explaining how to accurately test eggs for fertility please?
for some reason my chickens think its spring and are queing up to lay.

Title: Re: candling eggs
Post by: darkbrowneggs on January 02, 2012, 02:47:23 pm

Candling is generally done after the eggs have been set and incubating for 7-10 days.

You can look to see if they are fertile by breaking them open and examining the Blastodisc or Blastoderm, but  this take a bit of experience.  There are a couple of illustrations   HERE (http://www.darkbrowneggs.info/#/fertile-eggs/4542304559) but until you know what you are looking for it is a bit difficult.  Basically a fertile egg shows more of a halo round the outside of the ova, whereas an infertile one is more of a dot.  Sorry can't explain it more clearly than that. 

The best way is to set some and see what happens - though of course I am assuming you have a male bird running with them

Title: Re: candling eggs
Post by: deepinthewoods on January 02, 2012, 03:19:43 pm

thanks, yep ive got 4 cockerels running with 17 hens and judging by the photo link, ive just eaten two fertile ones. ive not got an incubator so ill wait till i get a broody again, my last cockerel was infertile so its nice to see ill have some potential chicks for the spring.