How do you tell if a mouthbrooder has eggs..

I don't know about the successfully bred part (my peacock always lays and holds unfertilized eggs since I do not have a male), but I can usually tell because she quits eating and will have bulging under her jaw. Quite often whe can catch a glimpse of the eggs in her mouth, but it can be difficult.

Do you suspect yours is holding? :idea2:

If she has eggs her throat will look distended, like she has something in her mouth. She may also do a "chewing" motion with her mouth. That is her moving water over the eggs. She also probably won't be eating if she has eggs. Sometimes females may take a couple flakes every now and then but usually they dont' eat much. If you do a search for holding pics there are tons.