Is "she" really a rooster?

[owl]

Hi, Your insights would be greatly appreciated!

We have 10 chickens 9 months old. 2 of them are Americanas.

We are quite sure that only one of the Americanas is laying. The smaller one doesn't look like a rooster, act like a rooster, or crow; however, we often get red spots in the eggs, and a few times the eggs have had bloody looking fluid in them. That makes us suspect that our smaller Americana may be a rooster. I have never seen it harass or mount the hens. It definitely is not the top alpha in the bunch (it's probably about 3rd or 4th in rank).

Is there any other reason (other than fertilized eggs) that there would be red spots in the eggs?

What is the deal with the bloody looking fluid? These eggs don't smell bad, but we toss them out anyways. I sell eggs occasionally to friends and I keep hoping they don't get one of these--Yuk!

Any ideas would be really helpful! Thanks javascript:insert_text('

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[horsechick]

Hi,
Not really sure, I'm not as experienced as most here, but maybe you do have a roo and should collect eggs more often?
Maybe if they are getting fertilized....they are staying with hen too long and becoming further along?
Maybe try collecting them 2 'xs a day and refrigerating them?
I'm going to keep looking here and see what the ideas are.
Hope someone knows!
I;m sure they will be able to help you solve it!
Take care,
Angela

 

[#1California Chick]

Unfortunately, I cannot answer your questions!!

However,

Welcome to BYC!!!

You will find many people here who know a LOT about chickens!!

Again, welcome!!

Cindy

 

[rooster-red]

Red spots or blood are not an indication of a fertilized egg.

A fertile egg will have a small bullseye that is paler than the rest of the yolk.

Blood spots usually come from pullets that have just started laying, some material has sloughed of the lining of the uterus as the egg is formed.

As for the red fluid, I have no idea.

 

[owl]

We collect the eggs once a day, but it is really cold here, so it would be hard to imagine fertile eggs developing if they were left outside. The hens aren't broody, however, they seem to like to share the same 2 out of 4 nesting boxes, so there are chickens in those 2 boxes for quite a while.

 

[silkiechicken]

Red spots can be genetic in the egg. Aka meat spots or blood spots. Usually caused by some bleeding that can occur when a yolk is released from the ovaries.

Even if you put a fertilized egg in the incubator with the intention to hatch, unless you really know what you are looking for, you won't notice blood with red pigment till late day 2 or day 3. More specifically about 60 hours into incubation.

Your girl who you think should be laying green eggs could be laying, but laying brown eggs, as you likly have EE's if not from a breeder.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
A chicken doesn't have a uterus. The uterus is only present in species that bear live young, not egg layers. When young are not gestated, there is no need for a uterus to gestate them in. Chickens only have ovaries and an oviduct.

Red fluid is just the egg white mixed with a little blood. This can occur if a small blood vessel anywhere in the egg tract ruptures before it gets to the area where the shell is deposited over the egg. Once in a while you can get one with a lot of blood. I had a big double yolker recently that had really dark red whites. I'll eat slightly pinkish ones, or small blood spots, but that was too bloody for my taste. I fried it up and fed it to the dogs.

Small blood spots on the yolk can occur when the yolk is released from the ovary. As the egg ages a bit, blood spots are absorbed by the yolk. So a blood spot on the yolk indicates a very fresh egg. Those other bits, small brown or pinkish brown specks are bits of tissue that sloughed off in the oviduct. They and the blood spots are harmless and the eggs are fine to eat. If you're too squeemish to eat them though, you can feed them to pets, or cook them and feed them back to the chickens.

 

[digitS']

Quote:
There is room for argument if you are putting this idea on terms out for debate, Jenny.

"Uterus - The section of the oviduct next to the isthmus where final portions of the white and minerals are deposited and shell and shell pigment are added." University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Steve

 

[owl]

Hi Everyone, Thanks for the input. We were really worried that Owl would turn into a rooster since it is one of our favorites. We have them at our house and our neighbors would probably not approve of crowing in the neighborhood. We had been under the assumption that red spots in the eggs meant rooster. We are greatly relieved (although we still don't know why she doesn't appear to be laying). Actually the other Amerucana has taken a break for the winter, so we'll see what happens in the spring.

- Carol

 

[dancingbear]

digitS' :

Quote:
There is room for argument if you are putting this idea on terms out for debate, Jenny.

"Uterus - The section of the oviduct next to the isthmus where final portions of the white and minerals are deposited and shell and shell pigment are added." University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Steve

I stand corrected. I looked it up to see what other sites said, as well. I was not aware that the shell gland was also referred to as a "uterus". Though, IMO, it could be considered a misnomer.

My apologies to Rooster Red.​