Everyone knows that chicken comes from an egg. However, in the latter there is no germ. And a chicken will not hatch from an ordinary store egg . For this to happen, the egg must be fertilized, while it becomes unfit for human consumption. It must be sent under the chicken to wait for the appearance of the chick or in the incubator. How to find out if an egg is fertilized? The answer to this question will be presented in the article.
How to distinguish?
There are some signs by which you can recognize a fertilized egg:
- the diameter of the germinal disc is 3-3.5 mm;
- the outer part is opaque;
- central, on the contrary, transparent, with a whitish spot;
- there is a small particle of blood in the yolk.
Enlightening an egg with white color is not difficult, but with brown it is more difficult. Therefore, it is often white eggs that are chosen for laying in the incubator, as they are easier to check.
In a fertilized egg, if enlightened, blood vessels will be visible. If there are no veins and black dots, this indicates the absence of fertilization, and such an instance should not be placed in an incubator.
It also happens that in the yolk when the clot is visible, the clot is not visible, but the blood contour near the yolk is determined. Such an instance is thrown away, since this indicates the death of the embryo inside. This happens for a variety of reasons.
Ovoscope determination
An ovoscope is a special device that allows you to recognize a fertilized egg. The device is a small container in which holes are laid eggs. At the bottom of the case is the backlight. There are various types of ovoscopes intended for use in factories and laboratories, as well as for home use.
Using the device, you can enlighten the eggs and evaluate their quality. Such devices previously stood in all grocery stores selling eggs, and therefore, each buyer could examine the eggs and, if necessary, replace them with better ones.
In an ovoscope, you can simultaneously view 5, 10 or 15 eggs. Objects of research in the device are located horizontally. A powerful light source allows you to visually detect any defects. The ovoscope operates on a 220 V network. The duration of its continuous operation is 5 minutes, then the device is cooled for 10 minutes.
Instructions for use of the ovoscope:
- The device must be plugged in.
- The ovoscope is positioned vertically with the lamp up.
- An egg is inserted into the light protection ring.
- Using the light of the lamp, inspect.
An ovoscope allows not only to determine the fertility of an egg, but also its quality. So, cracks and other defects in the shell, mold inside the shell will be visible. You can also find eggs that have been stored for a long time (they have an enlarged air chamber, the yolk becomes large, the protein becomes mobile).
Modern ovoscopes work with LED lamps from ordinary batteries. They do not warm eggs during the study, so there is no need for periodic shutdown and cooling of such a device. Outwardly, such ovoscopes resemble the most ordinary flashlights. Ovoscopy with them is carried out with eggs that are placed in the tray of the incubator or box, that is, they do not need to be removed before examination.
Cardboard determination
If there is no ovoscope available, at home you can use ordinary cardboard, twisted into a tube 2-3 cm thick. One end is brought to the light, then to the object under study. Through the second end, consider the contents. On the 4th-5th day of fertilization, a darkened area the size of a match head is visible in the egg. When turning, the spot moves behind the yolk. It resembles the letter “O”.
If the spot is completely dark, this indicates that the egg was not fertilized and is not suitable for breeding chickens. With this method of determining a fertilized egg, the level of development of the germinal disc in the yolk is important. The viability of the disk will be indicated by a change in the air volume in the egg chamber.
How to determine whether a fertilized egg or not?
For this:
- The egg is laid with a blunt end towards the light, slightly tilted.
- With the help of light, they see if the air chamber oscillates in it.
If the chicken egg is fertilized, the disk will begin to oscillate, and after it all layers, including the shell. So it will be clear whether the disk of the embryo is viable. Accordingly, it will not be difficult to answer the question: is the egg fertilized?