First Timer Broody Hen Questions

[amberalora]

@Killerbunny - maybe that would do the trick! Hahaha

@Jaye I opened them up in the barn into a wheelbarrow because I wasn't sure how gross it would be. So I didn't get a great visual - I didn't notice anything that looked like a blastodisc or blastoderm, but I didn't know about those until now, so I wasn't looking for them. The contents of the egg were just a thick yellow goop, as if the yolk had mixed with the whites but there were no obvious spots or anything solid inside.

[Ontario Chick]

Sounds like they were infertile.
How long were the hens with the rooster?
Because the fertility with Wyandottes and any Rose comb breeds tends to be lower, we usually eat lots of omelets in the spring before we set eggs, so we have an idea if the fertility is at least 60-70% before setting.
even then it's a bit of a crapshoot

[amberalora]

They have all been together since they were chicks. If they were ever going to be fertile you would think that they would be now.

That's interesting that the Rose comb breeds have lower fertility though. I will start checking the eggs more closely when I crack them and see if there are any blastodiscs or blastoderms from either hen. Google says it will be 4-6 weeks before the broody hen will start to lay again, is that right or will it be sooner since she isn't raising chicks?

[Jaye]

I think it depends on the hen. Mine started laying again about two weeks after her broody spell was broken.

[amberalora]

Hopefully this works, I added a picture of an egg from this mornings breakfast - this is my other hen’s egg. This looks like a blastodisc or derm, right?

[Jaye]

The thing that's front and centre looks like an air bubble to me. The white thing at ten o'clock (topside, north west) on the yolk looks like what we need to be looking at. Hard to tell what it is though, because it's only a side view.

[amberalora]

Ah! Ok - well can’t look at it again haha. I’ll have to check again tomorrow. Thank you!

[kenya]

It doesn't look fertile, it should look like a small white dot with a white circle around it.

[amberalora]

Ok thanks. There was definitely no white spot so it makes sense that it was just an air bubble.

I might get a chance to try this out again sooner than later, my other hen has been on her nest most of the day. If she goes broody I’ll try her eggs under her and see what happens.

If we get no hatch from two rounds would it be safe to say my rooster is a dud?

[Kbr42]

I might get a chance to try this out again sooner than later, my other hen has been on her nest most of the day. If she goes broody I’ll try her eggs under her and see what happens.

If we get no hatch from two rounds would it be safe to say my rooster is a dud?

Nope, could just be he hasn't figured it out yet! You said he is still young, might need some more practice...lol
If you want a hatch, I'm pretty sure someone in your area might have some eggs to spare. Candle often! You'll be able to know what's going on in those eggs. I usually leave them for 5 days...then I can't stand it anymore (lol) and I do a spot candle. The last week leading up to hatch I candle everyday so when I go into lockdown I have an idea of what I can expect. Have fun!