A birds egg needs to be fertilized if you want it to hatch and produce a bird. If the egg is not fertilized then it will never hatch and would be better be suited as a food source for humans or birds. Knowing whether a bird egg is fertile will help you decide as to what to do with the egg, but how do you figure this out? This article gives the answer to the question, ‘how to tell if a bird egg is fertile’ 

You can check whether a birds egg is fertile by candling the egg. This involves shining a light on the egg in a dark room and looking into the egg. If the egg contains veins, capillaries and a dark mass then it is fertile and developing 

How to determine if a bird egg is fertile?

Using tricks and tests to assess the inside of an egg from the outside in an effort to figure out if it has been fertilized is not always going to give you correct results. The only way to truly know if an egg is fertile is to wait for the egg to hatch, but you can get a good estimate with a simple test:

You can figure out if a bird’s egg is fertile without breaking it through a process called candling. During candling, a light is shone on one side of the egg in a dark room and the contents are observed. An egg with a concentrated dark reddish blotch and dark reddish vein capillaries around it means the egg is developing. If the egg has a light large blotch, then it is not fertilized as that is the egg yolk. If the dark blotch does not have capillaries stretching out from it, then it is a fertilized egg that stopped developing.

Both eggs that were not fertilized or stopped developing should be removed from the company of those that continue growing. This gives the growing eggs a healthy chance of survival. During growth, you will notice the air pod on one side of the egg continues to expand if the embryo is healthy. 

How long can fertilized eggs survive without heat?

From the observation of natural incubators (hens), eggs can stay about half an hour without heat. But that is dependent on the ambient temperature. A bird that is incubating may not leave the nest if the temperature is too low, or it will show signs of being uncomfortable if the temperature is too hot. 

So, if you are doing artificial hatching, ensure the eggs are not left without appropriate heat for more than half an hour.  

How long does it take for a bird egg to hatch?

Different bird species take different times for their eggs to hatch. For example, chickens take twenty-one days while ostriches take double that. Pigeons and doves take about sixteen to nineteen days. You may carry out some research to determine the incubation period for the specific bird which is in your care. 

Eggs that remain un-hatched after the incubation period are no longer safe for human consumption. They have been damaged by the humid conditions of the incubator, or simple deterioration due to lack of refrigeration. It is best to figure out if the eggs are fertilized before incubation so that you lose less time and eggs trying to hatch an unfertilized egg.  

Remove un-hatched eggs from the incubator after twenty-four days to avoid contamination and a nasty smell.

Can infertile eggs hatch?

No, infertile eggs can’t hatch. A hen does not need the male bird for it to lay an unfertilized egg. There may be times when the eggs are laid before they are fertilized. But only eggs fertilized by a male bird will produce chicks. This phenomenon may explain why chicken bred for laying eggs will succeed without needing a rooster. An infertile egg is only good to serve as human food as there is no way to fertilize eggs after they have been laid.

Can supermarket eggs hatch?

Supermarket eggs cannot hatch because they are most likely not fertilized. They are usually produced by specialized egg-laying chicken called layers. If the eggs were produced by free-range chicken, there is a remote chance that they may hatch under incubation conditions.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, you can know if a birds egg is fertile by candling it. Candling the egg will expose the inner workings of the egg. If the egg has a dark mass inside with veins and capillaries then the egg is fertile and a chick is growing. Eggs need heat and will die soon without it. They also need to be incubated for different lengths of time depending on the species of bird it belongs to. Supermarket eggs, which are generally never fertilized, will not hatch 

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: How to tell if a chicken egg is fertile with water, Warm water trick for hatching eggs, How to candle eggs with an iPhone, Chicken laying eggs without shell or membrane, why and what to do, How to tell if chick is alive in egg