Everyone knows that chickens hatch from eggs. But how many realize that a chicken egg is neutral; it doesn't contain an embryo? And even if you take a regular store-bought egg, a hen won't be able to hatch a chick from it.
After all, an egg is a kind of ovum, and for a small organism to develop within it, it must be fertilized. Unfertilized eggs are sold at the market. Those that will hatch are placed under a hen for incubation or taken to an incubator, where the chicks will mature.
In chickens, just like in humans, there must be love between the rooster and the hen, only then will chicks hatch from them. But such eggs are not fit for eating, so those buying a large batch should test them. To do this, take 20 eggs from the batch and crack them, or take 30 eggs from different trays; this will give a more reliable result.
When checking you need to take clean dishes and break the eggs into them, embryo-side up. You can tell whether an egg is fertilized immediately after the hen lays it. However, this method is rarely used in practice, as the broken eggs can no longer be used for further incubation.
Signs that can help you determine whether an egg is fertilized or not
There are some signs by which you can understand this:
- First of all, by the diameter of the germinal disc, it should be from 3 mm to 3.5 mm - the outer part should not be transparent.
- But its central part, on the contrary, is transparent, in the center of which there is a whitish spot, where the germinal disc is located.
- A fertilized egg will have a small amount of blood in its yolk.
How are fertilized eggs determined?
And while it's fairly easy to light a white egg, it's quite difficult to light a brown one. This means they'll be laid under a hen or in an incubator There's a high risk that they're not fertilized. The solution to this problem is simple: choose only white eggs for incubation. The embryo is easily visible in these eggs, so you won't have to spend a lot of time scrutinizing the contents.
First of all, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that a fertilized egg will have a candling blood vessels are determined in a certain area. This means that if you can see no streaks or small black dots when you hold it up to the light, the egg is not fertilized and should not be placed in an incubator. However, it may also be impossible to detect a clot in the yolk, but a blood outline around it is clearly visible. In this case, you can discard the egg immediately, as this indicates that the embryo inside has died for some reason.
This method significantly reduces the amount of waste during the incubation process.
There is a special device that can be used to determine whether eggs are fertilized or not, and this device is called an ovoscope. It consists of a small containerThe container in which the eggs are placed is a lighted container located at the bottom. Thin cardboard, pre-rolled into a tube, can be used for this purpose. The tube should be 2 cm to 3 cm thick. It works like this: one end is held close to the object being examined, and then close to the light source.
But through the other end of the tube, the contents of the object should be examined. In the early stages of fertilization, approximately 4-5 days a darkened area may be visible The size of a match head. If you rotate it horizontally, this spot will follow the yolk. Experts say this area should be shaped like the letter "O." This is true, as the outline of this spot is more defined, indicating the fertility of the egg. If this spot is completely darkened, it is not fertile and cannot be used for hatching chicks.
This determination of egg fertilization takes into account the percentage of development of the germinal disc, which is located in the egg yolk. The viability of this disc is determined by changes in the air volume in the chamber.
How the camera works
To perform this verification method you need to:
Place the egg on a stand positioned horizontally.- To do this, it is illuminated by placing it with the blunt side towards the light and tilted slightly.
- Then, using a light-sensitive element, it is determined whether there are fluctuations in the filling of the air chamber.
Place the egg on a stand positioned horizontally.In the event that it was fertilized and inside If a living embryo is present, the disc will vibrate. This, in turn, will cause vibrations in all layers of the egg, including the membrane beneath the shell. This is how fertilization and viability of the embryonic disc are determined.
This method is used not only when laying eggs in an incubator, but also during the incubation process itself, which significantly reduces the amount of waste and, accordingly, increases the percentage of successfully hatched chicks.
