How to Tell if Eggs are Fertilized

Your thinking about incubating some of the eggs that you have collected from your chickens but are they fertilized? This is something you really want to know before you set up your incubator.

In order to have fertilized eggs you first need to have a rooster in with your hens. Very important if you want fertilized eggs. Your hens will lay eggs without having a rooster with them.

Once you crack your egg, look at the yolk. You will see a white dot. If your egg is fertilized you will see a white circle around that white dot. A target.

The oldest and easiest way to tell if an egg is fertilized is called candling the egg. It is holding the egg up to a very bright small flashlight.

After 7 days of incubation, you can candle the egg again. You will see that it has started to form–it will look kind of like red veins spreading throughout the egg.

You don't want to candle the eggs too often as it may interfere with development.