Dumb question

Date sort Score sort
closetfan

closetfan

Chirping
7 Years
Mar 20, 2015
18
3
77
I have a flock of 8 hens. 6 EEs, a silver laced Wyandotte and araucauna. I'm not interested in having a rooster. But I can "rent" one for a while if I wanted to get some fertile eggs to increase my flock.

Dumb questions.

How long should I keep a roo? And what eggs would be fertilized once he did he duties? Would the eggs immediately laid afterwards be fertile? Or does it have to travel up the reproductive tract and get to a just barely starting to form egg? If it takes a few days for the fertile eggs to come out, how many days would that be?

I want to know how many I can keep collecting for food and when to stop and let incubate.

And when can I start using eggs as food again once the roo leaves?


Also........would any of my ladies get broodie? Can I let nature takes it's course or should I put them in a bater?
 
Wait a few days, weeks for him to mate succesfully with all you hens. I say keep him atleast 1 month.

Best of luck!
 
You can eat fertile eggs--so there's no reason to not eat them if a rooster is around. They may potentially produce fertile eggs for up to a month after the rooster leaves.

I personally wouldn't bother with "renting" a rooster. You'd need to quarantine him, and then he'd need to be quarantined again when he leaves (unless you just make soup when he's fulfilled his purpose). Besides quarantining, he'd have to be acquainted with the hens--depending on the age and experience of the rooster, it may be a battle for him to get to breed the hens. I know every year when my chicks are out of the brooders the old hens beat the snot out of the cockerels--it's sometimes weeks before they successfully mount the old hens.

Far too much hassle for a couple weeks of fertilized eggs in my opinion. I either keep a cockerel for as long as I can bear the crowing until I butcher him, or get fertile eggs from friends.
 
Last edited:
I'm surprised you can't find a free rooster for a short bit on Craigslist and then just relist him for free once you have had him in quarantine and then with your hens for a month or so. And I'd incubate over hoping one goes broody... But if you get one to go broody you might get her to adopt the babies after they hatch in the incubator. Free roosters are a dime a dozen out here and most places, only time I'd pay for a rooster is if it was a expensive breed that's rare to find and even then it better be show quality for me to pay for it lol.
 
Seems a much better idea just to buy some fertile eggs and incubate them... or wait till you have a hen go broody and then buy the fertile eggs to put under her.

If you get a rooster.. you will have the real danger of introducing a disease to your flock.

The new rooster may fight with your hens and injure them.

He may have a bad temperament.. or other bad qualities.. which he would pass onto any young that hatched from your hens.

You would have to go through the bother or re homing him... which is very difficult.. as there are so many unwanted roosters already.
 

Similar threads

S
    • Like
How to convince husband to keep roosters
2 3
Replies
23
Views
1K
McChooky
McChooky
T
Belgian Duccle Bantams
2
Replies
16
Views
625
NatJ
NatJ
A
Breeding Buttons - fertilized eggs- how long after mating?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Nabiki
Nabiki
O
    • Haha
    • Like
Infertile Roosters
2
Replies
14
Views
1K
Mrs. K
Mrs. K
SSHilltopHens
Beginner Breeder Pricing
2
Replies
17
Views
1K
EggSighted4Life
EggSighted4Life

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom