Rooster?

[hennypennyX12]

We became "chicken farmers" six months ago when we purchased 5 chicks (that were all "sexed" as hens) and 7 more chicks 4 weeks later (all hens as well). We never questioned gender until this weekend when one of our eggs (only one hen is laying so far) had a spot of blood in it, which I am told indicates a fertile egg. We have NO crowing, NO aggressive, NO spurred, NO really different looking chickens and don't know how to identify the rooster. We have removed the one with the most developed comb and wattle (which we had believed to be the hen laying the eggs since it is the only chicken we have seen in the nest. They have all been fairly slow to develop, and we thought that if there was a masqueraiding rooster we would have known by the time he was about 10 weeks old....we are perplexed. Do you know if this is a hen or a rooster?

 

[rooster-red]

Hen

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Beautiful leghorn hen that will or does lay white eggs.

Nope a spot of blood does not indicate fertility ( on the inside of the egg) On the outside of the egg if you find blood it just means new layer. Most of my first time layers have blood on the shells.

 

[Matt A NC]

Hard to tell from the pic. Can't really see a good detail of the feathering, but it looks like a large combed hen.

A blood/meat spot has nothing to do with fertility. It happens with a spot of blood or a tiny piece of the meat is picked up by the yolk before the membrane, white, and shell develops. This is common with new layers. Should stop once her body adapts to making eggs.

Matt

 

[hennypennyX12]

Thank you for the reasurance. I was pretty certain we had all hens, but was concerned about the blood inside one of the eggs. Yes, they are all white eggs and she only started laying 3 weeks ago. I feel comfortable putting her back in the run with the others now