# How long are eggs fertile?



## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I was told a few different - one person told me 5 days, one said 10 days , a few said 3-4 weeks???? 
Which is correct?? Does anyone really know? Can you candle an egg to see if its fertile before letting broody sit on it??


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Last question first, no, you have to break the egg and look for the bullseye in the yolk. I never tried, never had a reason to so I never perfected the art. There are some excellent pics on the net showing it.

Are you talking about after a hen is bred? The general rule of thumb, if you're switching out males, is to wait at least a month to make certain any progeny from the old male is no longer a possibility. Per MSU a hen can still produce fertile eggs for up to a month after the last breeding. It will vary from bird to bird.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I was wondering if the eggs i got rid of that showed no signs were possibly viable so i can smack myself


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

no need smack yourself... there will be more


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Lol.. I was afraid to damage the remaining egg . Tonight I'll do it after work


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If I remember right, you said those eggs had been in the incubator a week and showed no signs of development. At that point there should have been no doubt at all that they were fertile.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Yep they were there a week and showed nothing inside


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Then you didn't do anything wrong. Even some one who has never candled before could not miss the development at seven days. And you had others in there that you could tell were developing.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Whew. Yep none of them but two showed veins. I even candled them again the night i threw them out to make sure and there were no veins in any of them


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## Buckeye209 (Aug 11, 2015)

Up to 10 days eggs are fertile imo but not necessarily fresh,just laid to 4 days is ideal for incubating


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