Do I have a rooster, and are my eggs fertile?

[sarahjane80]

Hello BYC forum!
I'm new here, so please forgive me for starting a new thread! I couldn't figure out how to post on the existing thread!

I have six chickens that are 31 weeks old this weekend. So far the most eggs I have seen in a day is 5, but not consistently, so I'm not completely positive about who is laying. I also think that my eggs may be fertile, compared to what I've seen in pictures on this site. Below are pictures of my chickens, and a pic of one of the egg yolks that looks fertile to me. Can anyone weigh in on this? Oddly, none of them are crowing, which is kind of unusual for a rooster at 7+ months old, right?!

Here is one of the eggs I cracked open today:




I called my local feed store and they said that this egg is not fertilized, that the white spot is likely a calcium deposit.... that if it were fertile it would have a blood spot. But this forum and other sources say otherwise and that a blood spot isn't indicative of being fertile so I don't know what to think!

Please help!

Thanks!

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

All of your chickens are female, so no fertile eggs. Blood spots are common; they don't mean the egg is fertile.

 

[sarahjane80]

I know that blood spots don't necessarily mean fertile, but what is the white ring around the dot in the photo? Everything I've read says that the "bullseye" like ring indicates fertile eggs! Most of my eggs have the ring, but some do not, just a whitish dot...
the feed store thought chicken #1 was a rooster, are you sure these are all hens?
Thank you!

 

[BantamLover21]

All are hens. The white spot is just a normal, unfertilized blastodisc. There can be a slight different between the germinal disc of an infertile egg (when it is called a blastodisc) and a fertilized egg (when it is called a blastoderm), but that difference is hard to see and not a really reliable method of determining fertility.

 

[BusyStFarmer]

Regardless, I believe number 6 is a roo. His comb is very pronounced and his saddle feathers seem rather pointed. His stature is also screaming rooster to me. I could always be wrong you never know until you hear that first crow. Good luck

 

[junebuggena]

All girls. No fertile eggs, just a normal infertile blastodisc.

 

[donrae]

What a nice looking flock

. Everyone is female, for sure.

We got folks on here from time to time that see those pics online and are sure they have a rooster or a hermaphrodite hen, or something else weird. Truth is, they're just not fertile. The difference is really pretty subtle and hard to see. If you're truly sure in your heart they're fertile, try incubating them and see what happens.

 

[sarahjane80]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedback

 

[drumstick diva]

IF you are looking for a rooster, there is a glut of them on the market - great prices for buyers be sure to get one that is human & flock friendly.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Regardless, I believe number 6 is a roo. His comb is very pronounced and his saddle feathers seem rather pointed. His stature is also screaming rooster to me. I could always be wrong you never know until you hear that first crow. Good luck

You can know before the first crow pretty much every time. That chicken is definitely female at 31 weeks. Saddle feathers are on the middle to low back by the tail; this chicken has very round, clean saddle feathers. No doubt a pullet, and if she is not laying will be soon - which I say because of the size and color of comb.