did i accidentally buy roosters??

[krackowpolish]

no its not bad to eat fertilized eggs but you have to put them in the fridge or they will become more like a baby

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[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

no its not bad to eat fertilized eggs but you have to put them in the fridge or they will become more like a baby .

The eggs won't begin to develop unless your kitchen is kept at about 85+ degrees F, and it has to be much higher than that (like 99-100 degrees) for them to properly grow into chicks. This is without considering humidity.

OP: If you want to see if your eggs are getting fertilized, crack one open and look for the 'bullseye' mark. This thread has pictures: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

They are still perfectly fine to eat, fertilized or not.


I am beginning to second-guess my thoughts on the brown bird after seeing later pictures in this thread. Is there any way you could get a nice, CLEAR picture of this bird? I still think your black bird is a hen.

 

[mooneychicks]

I will post more pics of the brown one today. Im very confused now. Im not sure if they are roosters or not and im afraid to get rid of them if they are hens. Right now I've had them all a week and they all came from the same place, im only getting one a day. I get a brown egg every other day and a white egg in between those days. That kind of makes me believe they are roosters cause im not getting very many eggs.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

If you're getting a white egg, I'm going to say that your black bird is your white egg layer and is a hen. She looks like she has white earlobes, which suggests (but does not guarantee) that she is a white egg layer. Your grayish bird is not laying yet judging by her comb size, and the brown bird in the picture with the grayish one should be the one laying the brown eggs.

 

[mooneychicks]

Oh man, the grey one is the only one I've witnessed lay an egg and she's laying the brown ones. Well, she layed the first brown one I know. I do not know who is laying the white ones. So you believe I have 4 hens? None of them are crowing by the way.

 

[debid]

They look like hens to me. Clearer pictures and knowing their age would help. FWIW, I've seen hens fight and they grab wherever they can and push each other around. Sometimes they'll push each other down. So, unless you saw mounting with treading, I wouldn't presume rooster by behavior.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh man, the grey one is the only one I've witnessed lay an egg and she's laying the brown ones. Well, she layed the first brown one I know. I do not know who is laying the white ones. So you believe I have 4 hens? None of them are crowing by the way.

Wow, she's not as developed as I would expect for a laying hen!



As far as hens and roos:

All three of these birds look like hens to me. The black one is your white-egg layer and the other two apparently are your brown egg layers.

This red bird, I'm sort of suspicious of, especially from this picture in particular. A picture that is clearer, especially one that shows the area at the base of this bird's tail well, will help determine whether it's a rooster or not.

 

[sevenbabychicks]

I'm fairly certain the black one's a hen - esp if you're getting white eggs. I'm on the fence about the brown one. Its body looks pullety, but the splotchy coloration and behavior seem rooish. I'd wait a bit before deciding to rehome. You have a nice looking flock!

 

[animallover505]

They eat well? Meaning the fertilized eggs taste good and "if I can do that sort of thing" meaning they are goin to look totally gross when I crack them open??

they won't look totally gross, they look like normal eggs.

 

[missnu01]

How old are the birds? Are all your birds the same age? Can you get us pics of all your "hens" together if they are the same age? I think it would make it easier for everyone to see their roostery ness... Then again I could be totally wrong because a 2 year old hen will look like that...but if these birds are less than a year old, then 2 are roosters.