FINCHforum

My fiches have had eggs now for close to a week. they are due around the 14th i will post pics when they arrive. Any suggestions on how to tell if they are fertile other than candling?

Congrats! Since this is their first clutch, I would just wait and see rather than mess with them. For future clutches if they're tolerant I really don't know of any method other than candling. Some say they can tell by the outside color of the egg, but that doesn't always work for me.....

What type of finch are they? I can usually tell if mine are fertile just by looking at them. When they are close to hatching, they are a darker grey... but I try not to disturb them and normally have more success. My first clutch of societies had 6 eggs, 5 hatched and only 1 ended up surviving, and I believe it's b/c I messed with them so much. Their second clutch, I never messed with or bothered, all 6 lived and did great. So I've learned to just leave all my birds alone.