[FarmerKat]

Someone has a broody hen but no rooster. They want fertilized eggs. But they want them all already confirmed fertilized via candling.

That seems rather odd. If I already spent a week or longer keeping them in an incubator, I would want to keep my eggs given the effort I already put in them. If I had a broody hen sitting on eggs for more than a week, I would not take her eggs away from her either.

Also, I do not think the eggs should be taken out for transport for that long (I guess you could do it in an incubator plugged into a car charger).

I just think it is rather selfish for someone to make such a request. Why not take a few extra fresh eggs in case they are not all fertilized? \

Or maybe I am overthinking this ....

 

[chickenista]

That is odd, it isn't just you.

I would just explain to them that if you move them from the incubator, they will die.
And they will.

 

[ladycat]

Yes, that's odd.

 

[CurtisWilliams]

For the right price...

 

[sawman65]

Odd but not uncommon I used to ship fertile eggs to the Philippines and guarantee a 8o% hatch rate. I used to breed games form very old time blood lines. I must say I never took them from a bator and sent them. If you keep the chosen rooster with the chosen hen/hen’s the eggs will be fertile. have you hatched from the said rooster before? If so all should be well. If mailing send priority mail it will get there in 24 hr. or less but pack them well. Put fragile and an up arrow in many spots

 

[FarmerKat]

Oh, I do not have eggs to sell (my hens are still too young) but I am on a mailing list this request came to.

I can see shipping fresh eggs, in order for them to be candled to show a developing chick, they had to already be in an incubator or under a hen.

 

[marusempai]

I think that person must not understand how candling works. If it were possible to shine a light through an egg and tell if it were fertilized or not, without incubating it a little first, it would be a totally reasonable request. But it's not possible, s/he probably does not know that.

 

[michael ark]

Money talks.

 

[GrannyCarol]

Some people put eggs in the incubator, wait a week, candle to confirm fertility while keeping rooster and hens together. Then they can say they have a 90% or whatever fertility rate as confirmed by candling, but ship fresh eggs from the same parents. Seems to me that would be the closest you'd come to "knowing" how fertile they are.

 

[aart]

Some people put eggs in the incubator, wait a week, candle to confirm fertility while keeping rooster and hens together. Then they can say they have a 90% or whatever fertility rate as confirmed by candling, but ship fresh eggs from the same parents. Seems to me that would be the closest you'd come to "knowing" how fertile they are.

That makes sense, to explain the term "confirmed fertilized via candling". But it really only applies to the rooster/hens pairing, not the actual eggs that are being sent to the customer. Semantics, I know, but specific wording can be important to understanding and expectations.

I've read about incubating to test for fertility but kind of thought it was a waste of eggs, unless you wanted to hatch some chicks, when it's pretty evident that an egg is fertile when you break it open for breakfast....thus the pairing could be evaluated by looking at the yolks.

 

[FarmerKat]

Some people put eggs in the incubator, wait a week, candle to confirm fertility while keeping rooster and hens together. Then they can say they have a 90% or whatever fertility rate as confirmed by candling, but ship fresh eggs from the same parents. Seems to me that would be the closest you'd come to "knowing" how fertile they are.

Oh, that is interesting. Maybe that is what they were talking about. The way the e-mail came across was that the actual eggs provided should have been candled. Not different eggs from the same parents. Thanks for educating me.

 

[GrannyCarol]

It could be that the people posting were confused by that sort of request too.