How Can You Tell If a Chicken Egg Is Fertile? Look for the Bullseye
Edited by Jennifer Bryant · Poultry breeder, Animal Science graduate, and Poultry Nerds Podcast co-host.
You can look for a bullseye on the yolk of a freshly cracked egg to assess fertility. After about a week in the incubator, candling can show whether an embryo is developing, although it cannot always distinguish infertility from very early loss. From the outside, fertile and infertile eggs look exactly the same.
First, the big rule: a hen must mate with a rooster for her eggs to be fertile. Hens can keep laying fertile eggs for several weeks after the rooster is gone, so recent mating counts too.
Way 1: The Breakfast Test
Crack an egg into a bowl and look for a small white spot on top of the yolk.
Infertile: The spot is small, solid, and a little fuzzy around the edges, like a tiny cloud.
Fertile: The spot looks like a bullseye, with a clear center and a white ring around it.
This is a fun way to check whether your rooster is doing his job. Of course, that egg won't hatch now.
Way 2: Candling
Candling means shining a bright light through the shell in a dark room. It's how hatchers peek inside without cracking anything.
Around day 7 of incubation, a growing egg shows a dark spot with thin red veins spreading out like a spider web. You may even see a little movement.
A clear egg may not be fertile, or it may have stopped growing early. If you're not sure, check again in a few days before you toss it.
Does a Fertile Egg Taste Different?
Nope. Fertility itself doesn't change an egg's taste, but it doesn't guarantee food safety either. Collect eating eggs daily, refrigerate them promptly, and cook until the white and yolk are firm. Don't use eggs that have been incubated for this breakfast test.
Why It Matters for Hatching
Even with a rooster, not every egg will be fertile. That's normal. Buying hatching eggs from a good breeder gives you the best start.
Ready to hatch? Find hatching eggs at Hatching Egg Directory, and learn candling step by step at Incubation Masterclass.
