duds

Question
how many likly are duds out of 7 to 8 eggs?
and how likely are the babies to be dead in the shell?

Answer
Hello! When determining duds, its sometimes hard to tell. There is usaully not more than 2 duds in a clutch of 7-8 but also there is a chance that all of them are fertile and will hatch. You can tell if the egg is a dud by holding it up to a flash light or lamp. If you cannot see the membraine then it is unfertil. The inside of the egg will remain clear. Duds are also smaller and more rounded than fertil eggs. In a fertil egg you will not beable to see clearly through the egg, since a chick is developing in it.
Babies are not born dead in the shell but they may die shortly after birth. The hen will hatch all the eggs that are fertil and if she knows how to take care of the chicks she will feed them and care for them. A lot of hens kill their first brood only because they dont know how to take care of the babies. Out of 30 broods at my house i have never had a baby that was dead in the shell. So chances are that all of your hens eggs will hatch normally. good luck!