20 weeks,... maybe?

[Saltiena]

how long will it take for a chicken to lay an egg and have it be fetile like 20 weeks, i know it takes around 21 days to hatch but when eill they start laying egss, and when can the eges become fertilized

 

[4H kids and mom]

Well, a hen can only lay a fertile egg if there are roosters running with her. Do you have a rooster? Have you witnessed him doing "rooster things" to your hen?

If you have then I have heard it is roughly 2 weeks for the hens eggs to become fertile if that was the first time she mated with the rooster. They can hold the roosters sperm to fetilize eggs for about a week, I think. Hens can lay fertile eggs as soon as they are old enough to lay eggs (16-20 weeks) as long as you also have a rooster running the yard with the hens, and the rooster is sexually mature (usually about the same age, or when they start crowing).

 

[Southern Chickens]

My rooster has been doing his thing for about a month now. She just laid her first, second and third eggs. Are they not going to be fertile?

 

[silkiechicken]

They are probabaly fertile but as for hatching, you won't end up with as healthy chicks because the egg is small and won't really have enough nutrients for the growing baby. Wait another two months are so and then start setting them.

 

[bigzio]

silkichicken is correct about not using pullet eggs. Waiting until the eggs become larger is the smart thing to do. Normal size eggs for that specific breed are the best to use for good results.

bigzio