A couple of the local chicken keepers continue to attempt to hatch their own eggs, but they are not having much luck. To begin with, determine if the eggs are fertile.
There are two methods to achieve it. A cracked egg from the hens you intend to breed from is the easiest technique to determine fertility. Only 1 or 2 of them will need to be opened in the few days before incubation. The second method is using the candling techniques.
How to tell if an egg is fertile before incubation
You can check the fertility of eggs before incubation. This method involves cracking the egg from either side of the end and observing the formation of the blastoderm. The blastoderm is a layer of cells formed by the cleavage of a fertilized mammalian egg, which later divides into the three germ layers from which the embryo develops. germinal membrane germ membrane.
1. Sample 2 – 3 eggs from the hens.
2. Keep eggs in a cool dry place for 2 to 3 days.
3. Gently crack open the egg from the top.
4. Look for the whitish disc (blastodisc) floating on top or,
5. Blood stains of cells developing.
6. Presence of blastodisc indicates the eggs are fertile.
How to tell if an egg is fertile candling
During chicken egg incubation, you can check the fertility of the eggs using the darkroom and a flashlight, this process is called candling.
In most hatcheries, candling takes place on day 18 of incubation. It takes 21 days for the chick to fully form. 18 days for turning, then 3 days for the chicks to pip from the eggs inside the hatcher.
How to tell if an egg is fertile with a flashlight
Below is an image of what a fertile egg looks like in the darkroom using a flashlight.
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Source:PoultryABC.com
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