Is my Rooster Broody!?

[Hholly]

It looks like a girl to me too.
This pic shows a fertile and infertile egg. They can look pretty similar.
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Images/Fertile_vs_Infertile.png

 

[TheLukeMeister]

That looks like a hen. Have you hatched eggs from them??

Yeah, he's the most feminine silkie I have

. No. The hens are pullets.

 

[torilovessmiles]

Yeah, here.
His crest. (pitiful huh?)


He's the buff in the middle.




And his "streamers". (also pretty pitiful)


He is pretty feminine, but I've got fertile eggs from my hens, and he's the only one I haven't seen lay.

x2 I'm pretty sure that's a female... You must have mistaken the eggs. They look very similar. Sometimes with my own I have to compare them to a known infertile egg to be sure!

 

[TheLukeMeister]

x2 I'm pretty sure that's a female... You must have mistaken the eggs. They look very similar. Sometimes with my own I have to compare them to a known infertile egg to be sure!

Yeah, I guess I'll just give my broody hen some eggs and see if they hatch/develop.

 

[TheLukeMeister]

I just cracked open another egg, and it is definitely fertile. There was a big perfect bulls eye. I'll try to upload pics.

 

[torilovessmiles]

I attempted to illustrate the difference between a fertile "spot" and an infertile "spot" here. As you can see, they look very similar, but the fertile spot is several millimeters wide and has a very clear ring around it. The infertile spot has a small dot with a bit of a faded circle around it, but is very small. Without having a fertile egg to compare to (especially if you've never seen one) an infertile egg would look like the bullseye we talk about

 

[TheLukeMeister]

I attempted to illustrate the difference between a fertile "spot" and an infertile "spot" here. As you can see, they look very similar, but the fertile spot is several millimeters wide and has a very clear ring around it. The infertile spot has a small dot with a bit of a faded circle around it, but is very small. Without having a fertile egg to compare to (especially if you've never seen one) an infertile egg would look like the bullseye we talk about

Ah, yeah. Thanks, that's really helpful! I got 2 more eggs from the coop, and one was infertile, but the other was fertile. I got a store bought egg and compared the two, and I'm 99% sure it's fertile.

 

[torilovessmiles]

Ah, yeah. Thanks, that's really helpful! I got 2 more eggs from the coop, and one was infertile, but the other was fertile. I got a store bought egg and compared the two, and I'm 99% sure it's fertile.

Do any neighbors have a rooster? You you free range and they free range, it's likely that a rooster got a hold of a pullet. A female can hold on to sperm for weeks, keeping her eggs fertile far in between matings.

Of your chickens, the only one that appears rooster-ish at all is the one on the far right, due to the stringier tail feathers. But you've seen that one lay eggs so that can't be it... I think you should definitely post pictures of the bird in question to the silkie thread and see what they think. They've helped me with sexing silkies before!

 

[TheLukeMeister]

Quote:

Do any neighbors have a rooster? You you free range and they free range, it's likely that a rooster got a hold of a pullet. A female can hold on to sperm for weeks, keeping her eggs fertile far in between matings.

Of your chickens, the only one that appears rooster-ish at all is the one on the far right, due to the stringier tail feathers. But you've seen that one lay eggs so that can't be it... I think you should definitely post pictures of the bird in question to the silkie thread and see what they think. They've helped me with sexing silkies before!

No, they don't. And they don't free range so it's only those 3. Yeah, I've read that.

Yeah, I agree. I've already been on another silkie sexing thread (multiple times ) and they all agree that he's a she, but since he's the only one I haven't seen lay, and I'm getting fertile eggs he's gotta be a she. (unless I'm wrong, and the fertile egg is actually infertile XP)

 

[torilovessmiles]

No, they don't. And they don't free range so it's only those 3. Yeah, I've read that.

Yeah, I agree. I've already been on another silkie sexing thread (multiple times ) and they all agree that he's a she, but since he's the only one I haven't seen lay, and I'm getting fertile eggs he's gotta be a she. (unless I'm wrong, and the fertile egg is actually infertile XP)

Can you post a picture of the egg by any chance?