Flock of Chicks

[England-Farm]

Good morning!

Over the weekend, I was out in the coop cleaning up and letting my six birds free-range the front yard in-between rain storms. We have two black Astrolorp's, three Americauna' s and one Silver Laced Wyandotte. Purchased from Rural King as sex linked in May 2020 (one of the only positive things to happen in 2020! haha)

I'm outside with them a lot, almost every day for at least an hour. Our coop/pen is within 50 feet from our house so we can normally hear when one of the hens gets a little territorial and starts squawking. Our neighbor across the street raises roosters and hens and we can hear them from the wee hours of the morning till almost 8 or 9 o'clock at night.

Yesterday morning, I went out to the coop for a few eggs for breakfast. The two eggs I cracked were still slightly warm, assuming they were laid within the hour of harvesting them. Their yolks each had a tiny white pin-prick dot and a very faint outer circle around it the dot creating the classic "bulls eye" which typically means "fertilized" ...

Here's the kicker though: we don't have any roosters and there's no way for a rooster to get in with our hens and then back out again without a human opening the door to their pen. They're in an entirely enclosed pen! And I know that our neighbors would never tread on our property AND I keep our gates locked so no one can even get to our chicken pen, anyway.

Could it be that our eggs were just THAT fresh? Or could one of my hens be a "he"? None of them row. I've never witnessed any mating or mounting. We seem to get six fresh eggs on days that are sunny, clear and warm. Should I separate each one for 24-48 hours to make sure they lay an egg? Should I just leave the eggs out there for a few weeks and see if we have baby chicks? Any advice would be great!

 

[sourland]

Can you post a picture of your flock ?

 

[Mamatomany123]

I also agree with pictures. Many people think their eggs are fertile because of the white spot but it is a natural thing. (Not my pictures)

 

[Mamatomany123]

Is it even possible for a rooster to be silent its entire life?

That's sort of what our yolks looked like. I'll crack some when I get in tonight and post the photos here.

If you posted all of your birds above and they are a year old in those pictures then you dont have a rooster.

 

[aart]

Should I just leave the eggs out there for a few weeks and see if we have baby chicks?

Not a good idea, especially if you are not sure the eggs are truly fertilized, you never free range?
...and you have all those chicks(hope you have room for them).

They both will sit on eggs every night but none of them sit on eggs all day.

If not sitting during the day they are not broody,
would be good to figure out they are sleeping in the nests at night.

Here's my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

 

[aart]

We typically let them free-range during the day while at work and whenever we're outside on weekends.

Well, then maybe those eggs are fertile......the neighbors male might have visited?

 

[England-Farm]

Here yah go

 

[England-Farm]

Silver Lace and the Americauna (in second photo with side to the camera) are broody, as far as I can tell. They both will sit on eggs every night but none of them sit on eggs all day.

 

[England-Farm]

Our next flock

 

[England-Farm]

Not a good idea, especially if you are not sure the eggs are truly fertilized, you never free range?
...and you have all those chicks(hope you have room for them).


If not sitting during the day they are not broody,
would be good to figure out they are sleeping in the nests at night.

Here's my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

Good points, everyone's input is greatly appreciated! Thank you

Currently constructing a new coop and run for all of our birds. Upgrading to larger brooders this weekend to accommodate chicks. We typically let them free-range during the day while at work and whenever we're outside on weekends.

Not sitting all day, as far as I can tell, but sitting on eggs at night every night and making lots of racket (clucks and squawks) all day. Cheeks are turning a little pale on some, also.