Fertile Egg, no Rooster?

[Michellep224]

When my hens lay eggs sometimes they have that white spot on them that looks like the blastoderm. They are not kept with a rooster, and are not free-range, but in a run.
They aren't fertile, are they? Why do they have that white spot??

 

[Ridgerunner]

The white spot is the hen's contribution to genetics, whether it is fertilized or not. The bull's eye recognizes the rooster's contribution.

 

[Michellep224]

Oh, okay! That makes sense.
But it does look like it has a ring around it, doesn't it?

 

[aart]

But it does look like it has a ring around it, doesn't it?

It sure does...how long from the time the egg was laid until you took this pic....and where/how was it stored?

 

[Patinas]

I recently had an egg that looked just like that but I haven't had a rooster in the flock for a year. I too did a double take when I cracked it open.

I store my eggs unwashed on the counter until used or sold but at the most, they may sit there for about a week.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here is an interesting article on parthenogenesis. I remembered this from several years back but it took a lot of Goggle to come up with that name.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/artic...normal-fertilization-and-embryonic-mortality/

It appears to be more common in certain flocks of chickens and turkeys but it is possible for a female chicken or turkey to lay a fertile egg without a male around. It's rare and most of the time the embryo quickly dies if the egg is incubated. But it is possible to actually get a chick to hatch.

Perhaps something of this nature happened, rare though it is.

 

[aart]

Here is an interesting article on parthenogenesis. I remembered this from several years back but it took a lot of Goggle to come up with that name.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/artic...normal-fertilization-and-embryonic-mortality/

It appears to be more common in certain flocks of chickens and turkeys but it is possible for a female chicken or turkey to lay a fertile egg without a male around. It's rare and most of the time the embryo quickly dies if the egg is incubated. But it is possible to actually get a chick to hatch.

Perhaps something of this nature happened, rare though it is.

Oh Good!!
This was tickling the back of my brain, I knew we had discussed it before but I didn't save it...NOW I will save it. Thanks @Ridgerunner!

 

[Michellep224]

That is fascinating!!

This is an unfertilized egg, and it is fertile if it has a ring around it. Got it. XD
I collect the eggs a minimum of 2x a day, when the chickens are all fed. Sometimes there are eggs when I check on them in the afternoon, which I collect.
After I collect them I date them, and store them in an egg carton on the counter, room temperature, unwashed.