White spots on eggs in flock with no rooster

[Missminashouse]

Hi! When I was cracking eggs this morning, I noticed that a lot of them had little white spots on the yolks. I think that would usually mean the egg was fertilized, but we don't have a rooster . . . Is it something I should be concerned about?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What you are seeing is the germinal disc which is present on every egg laid because that is what allows the egg to become fertilized and develop into a chick should there be a rooster in the flock. When the egg is fertilized that regular white spot develops a very distinct Bullseye pattern to it showing that it has been fertilized. If you were to manipulate the other yolks you would find that somewhere on each yolk is one of these dots