Can't decide whether my eggs are fertile

[Achelois]

My neighbour's keen to hatch out some eggs under her silkies for her kids. My little rooster is only 4 1/2 months old but it seems he's up for the job - the lowest in the pecking order of my older hens, Sooty, laid a fertile egg. And then went broody

I've cracked open a couple more this morning though and I'm pretty sure he's been with her companion too, Black - it had a faint white ring around it making the characteristic bullseye. What I'm not sure is whether he's been with Attila who is the next in the order and a bit stroppy. I thought I saw a line but it's a bit indistinct. What do you think? They're probably not great photos, I don't much like the macro setting on my husband's camera. Black's egg (I think fertile) is on the left. Attila's (the one I'm not sure about) is on the right.

 

[Heidisgran]

My neighbour's keen to hatch out some eggs under her silkies for her kids. My little rooster is only 4 1/2 months old but it seems he's up for the job - the lowest in the pecking order of my older hens, Sooty, laid a fertile egg. And then went broody

I've cracked open a couple more this morning though and I'm pretty sure he's been with her companion too, Black - it had a faint white ring around it making the characteristic bullseye. What I'm not sure is whether he's been with Attila who is the next in the order and a bit stroppy. I thought I saw a line but it's a bit indistinct. What do you think? They're probably not great photos, I don't much like the macro setting on my husband's camera. Black's egg (I think fertile) is on the left. Attila's (the one I'm not sure about) is on the right.

My neighbour's keen to hatch out some eggs under her silkies for her kids. My little rooster is only 4 1/2 months old but it seems he's up for the job - the lowest in the pecking order of my older hens, Sooty, laid a fertile egg. And then went broody

I've cracked open a couple more this morning though and I'm pretty sure he's been with her companion too, Black - it had a faint white ring around it making the characteristic bullseye. What I'm not sure is whether he's been with Attila who is the next in the order and a bit stroppy. I thought I saw a line but it's a bit indistinct. What do you think? They're probably not great photos, I don't much like the macro setting on my husband's camera. Black's egg (I think fertile) is on the left. Attila's (the one I'm not sure about) is on the right.

I think it looks good...

 

[Achelois]

Thanks! I just now found there was a thread dedicated to it and read the whole thing and still couldn't decide. We had one that had a definite bullseye appearance from our youngest layer, Sooty, and because she was brooding I gave her some of Black's and Attila's eggs to sit on thinking he'd been with all of the hens. When I candled them after 5 days they hadn't developed though so I cracked them open and they didn't look fertile to me. These look different though - how do I put it, not a characteristic bullseye appearance, but the white spot is larger? If I look really closely it's like I can see little flecks, clear spots in the white, really, really tiny, like perhaps some degree of development while inside the hen? The one on the left was fresh from the hen, the right one had been in the fridge for a couple of days.

 

[Heidisgran]

Thanks! I just now found there was a thread dedicated to it and read the whole thing and still couldn't decide. We had one that had a definite bullseye appearance from our youngest layer, Sooty, and because she was brooding I gave her some of Black's and Attila's eggs to sit on thinking he'd been with all of the hens. When I candled them after 5 days they hadn't developed though so I cracked them open and they didn't look fertile to me. These look different though - how do I put it, not a characteristic bullseye appearance, but the white spot is larger? If I look really closely it's like I can see little flecks, clear spots in the white, really, really tiny, like perhaps some degree of development while inside the hen? The one on the left was fresh from the hen, the right one had been in the fridge for a couple of days.

that's what I thought big and just smudged together

 

[Achelois]

Both you think? ! I have them penned in together at the moment. He's a sly one this rooster. We are out there heaps and I never see them mating (maybe because he does see us as the dominant roosters and won't mate in front of us?) but I am starting to get a feel for which hens he's won over as he adopts them into his 'flock' with the younger ones.

 

[Heidisgran]

Both you think? ! I have them penned in together at the moment. He's a sly one this rooster. We are out there heaps and I never see them mating (maybe because he does see us as the dominant roosters and won't mate in front of us?) but I am starting to get a feel for which hens he's won over as he adopts them into his 'flock' with the younger ones.

I do
can you stick them in an incubator an check for development in 4 or 5 days

 

[Achelois]

I don't have an incubator unfortunately - my neighbour can get the silkies broody easily but I don't want to mess her around. She may be prepared to take the chance though.

 

[SilverDuck284]

Can't say for sure, but they don't look fertile to me. When my eggs are fertile the spot is much larger, with a secondary ring, or disk around it. The only surefire way to tell is to simply incubate them. If they aren't you can always try again in a few months. What color are the eggshells? You will know in as little as 3 days of incubation, depending on how well you can see thru them.

 

[Achelois]

Thank you! Yes, I'm not sure about these two either. There was one that definitely was, from the hen that went on the brood. But that's long since eaten, and now there's nothing to compare it to. Now I think I'm imagining rings every time I look at an egg. He may still have only mated with the one hen who is not laying at the moment. The eggshells are light-mid brown. I could get the neighbour to candle them anyway (I suggested it as last time she put way too many eggs under her silkie and none hatched) but I don't want her to make a hen brood/get her kids hopes up for nothing.

 

[SilverDuck284]

You could just wait 2-3 weeks and check them again. My youngest roo to start doing his job was a little less than 6 months old. But he started mounting and crowing at around 4 months. I could actually see the difference in him when he became mature, his comb doubled in size almost overnight and he was so red, even on his legs and in between his toes!! He was flush with hormones, lol.