Fertile eggs with no cockerel?

[Mercedes]

I happened to post on fb about our granddaughter asking us if our hen's eggs would hatch if we left them. I tried to explain, as well as I could to a 6yr old, that as we don't have any male chickens that wasn't possible. Then someone on fb told me that I was wrong and that hens don't need a cockerel to lay fertile eggs. Now I've spent my whole adult life assuming that unless a hen mates with a cockerel her eggs will be unfertile, but this person sounds so convincing I'm starting to second guess myself

[Thomassio]

Don't second guess yourself Mercedes, you most certainly do need a cockerel for your hens to lay fertile eggs. Good look with the explaining to a 6 year old!

[fishpond]

I happened to post on fb about our granddaughter asking us if our hen's eggs would hatch if we left them. I tried to explain, as well as I could to a 6yr old, that as we don't have any male chickens that wasn't possible. Then someone on fb told me that I was wrong and that hens don't need a cockerel to lay fertile eggs. Now I've spent my whole adult life assuming that unless a hen mates with a cockerel her eggs will be unfertile, but this person sounds so convincing I'm starting to second guess myself

[bmpsands]

The level of confidence is not directly related to the degree of accuracy of any info on the internet. The things I've read . . .

Good to know that your original info was correct. All you have to do now is explain the facts of life to a 6 year old. Easy peasy.

[stace]

That someone on FB needs to go back to schoool

[Mo]

They may have heard/read people explaining that you don't need a cockerel to get EGGS, and misinterpreted.
Poultry keepers laugh at that question, though I don't think they should since for most birds mating and nest building come before egg-laying.

[Mercedes]

Phew I'm not as stupid as I was beginning to think I was

[serama1]

what can I say but

[Chicken drumstick]

My Magpie Hen also thinks otherwise ....she keeps sitting on anything that looks like an egg

If hens sit on Golf balls for 14 days you do get baby ping pong balls ......eventually i read it in the Sunday sport so it must be true .

[silverback]

Perhaps it was an immaculate conception!

[Mo]

Or an immaculate MISconception