Possible "lemon" rooster? Advice please!

[RedIII]

Oh, I have to admit I feel more than a little silly at the moment. Let me explain something:

Before owning the two hens that are currently with this rooster, my boyfriend had a flock of eight hens that he says were laying eggs. One of them even went broody on him and hatched some chicks. A neighbor's dog got into the yard and killed all of the birds except for the roo and one of the hens, and that hen later fell into a horse trough and drowned (sad story, I know) When I asked him, my boyfriend says he never found any blood in any of the eggs he collected from the previous flock.

Now, I'm really confused at this point. I thought that even when the hens were laying, there were no signs of fertilization. But if that's the case, then how did the one hen hatch any chicks? Is there something I am missing here about how to tell if the eggs have been fertilized?

And now I wonder if the problem is something else completely. The age of the two hens that are currently in the flock is unknown. Could it be that they just don't lay anymore? I don't know if they have ever laid any eggs since my boyfriend came to own them earlier this year. Oh goodness, it seems I have a lot to learn.

 

[RHRanch]

1. Chickens lay eggs with or without a rooster present.
2. Fertile eggs can be detected with a visual inspection if you know what you are looking for. (its a little whitish 'bullseye", can be hard to spot) But its not red. Red spots are usually blood spots, which have to do with the development of the egg in the hens internal organs, and blood spots are not indicators of fertility.
3. Eggs must be incubated the proper amount of time in order to hatch. I have some fertile eggs that I have been collecting for pictures, they have been sitting out for 4 months - NO chicks!

4. Pixiechick is right - if the eggs were incubated long enough, you could see a developing embryo, but its probably not going to look like a bloodspot.
As for the roo roughing up the hens, its probably because there are not many hens and so they lose a lot of feathers. Get the hens some saddles, they are cheap and protect the hens back from the rooster mounting them. People sell them here in the auction listings.

I found this posting with great pics to show fertile vs non fertile eggs. Go look! https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

 

[PixieChixie]

So, you are basing the idea that the eggs are not fertile on the fact that there was no blood on the eggs?
Don't quote me on this, I'm no expert.
Fertile eggs and infertile eggs look and taste the same if you collect them right away.
If the hens go broody and sit on the eggs, or if you properly incubate them, then the eggs will begin to develop. If you crack an egg and has blood in it, then a hen must have sat on the egg long enough for the egg to start to develop.

 

[RedIII]

Alright, it seems I've gathered some valuable knowledge today. Thank you very much for the helpful comments, I now have plenty of homework to do.

 

[BlazeJester]

Quote:
You can tell an egg has been fertilized because it will have a whitish bullseye in the yolk.

The hens may no longer be of laying age, or they may be old enough that they will not lay in winter no matter how long you make their "days". You can check this by picking up the hen and looking at her vent - if it looks oval and moist, she is still in lay. If it is puckered and dry looking, she is not laying eggs. I'm not sure if this is the case for molt as well...

You said they have never laid any eggs since your boyfriend got them? You can't have any fertilized eggs without having eggs. I'd blame that on the hens far sooner than the roo!!!

 

[RedIII]

Another update: I found out that the rooster was one of the two chicks that survived the beagle attack which wiped out the rest of the flock. That would explain how there were chicks before, and not now. I still need to take a peek at the two ladies and see if they're laying right now or if they're on strike. I'll be able to check tomorrow morning.

However, tonight the rooster has gone missing and I'm worried that another animal has picked him off. I hope we can find him in the morning. Also, thank you again for all of the helpful advice! You guys are helping shape me into a not-so-clueless bird owner