Can a Rooster be used as a stud?

[Manok-Tao]

I'm new here and building a new coop for 8 pullets......
I have no plans at present to get into breeding my girls, hence no plan for a Roo.
I've read many great posts about how great Roo's are and a few about how much of a pain they are.

Can a rooster be brought into a flock of hens (after quarantine) let him into the group, do his buisness then pull him out of the flock.
If this is doable, how long would he have to be in the flock. Is this line of questions way off?

 

[Cornychick]

I would like to know this as well. We live in the city and can't have a rooster but have a barn out of the city we are planning to use also. I would like to keep some of our hens in town but would like fertilized eggs.

 

[WriterofWords]

I don't know, but Blue Roo and Cobalt said it's fine with them! I guess it would be depend on how many hens you put him in with, for how long, and whether not he and all of them accepted each other. It would be hard to tell which were fertile and which weren't unless you stand out there and watch him and check which ones he's playing rodeo with.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

A local fellow here has two winter pens, hens in one, roos in the other. He keeps a pen for "conjugal visits" throwing selected boy and girls in once a week for a morning. He selects birds off the roost at night, putting them in the honeymoon suite and let's them stay together until sometime in the afternoon when he puts everyone back. He states this allows him to keep many breeds but still make only the matings he chooses.

I have no idea how well this works for fertility. I was giggling too hard to ask. He was really funny with this story.

 

[speckledhen]

First of all, never assume the hens will accept him. They can be pretty stubborn when a new man gets plopped into their turf and can draw blood. Those head hens get somewhat testy at times. And even quarantine may not bring up signs of disease. I'd say if you want to bring in a rooster from somewhere else temporarily, not a good idea.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I've borrowed cock birds. Makes me nervous every time I do it, because if something happened to him then I am the one held responsible. I usually keep him for the breeding season and then return him towards the end of summer.

 

[chicknjane]

It could be done, but, there are always risks. As have been mentioned above. My girls were not very nice to one of the younger roosters when I first started integrating the flock. He got pecked pretty good. I'd be worried that the hens would peck the "stranger".

Good luck,
Marcy

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree.

 

[greathorse]

Providing you were comfortable with both flocks health and you were the one in control of the who comes and goes with both flocks I can't see that you would have trouble with biosecurity. I do think you would have better luck taking the hens you want bred to the rooster a few at a time. I think he would be likely to breed them and I think they would be less likely to beat the you know what out of him.

You of course would want to know both flocks if you are the one feeding both and are visiting both regularly I think that you have already pretty much mingled the flocks from a bio security standpoint.

 

[nanawendy]

So my idea of a sleepover is out...Darn

. I'll take the sage advice...

and do the right thing. I'm so glad this resource is here. I fear my girls would be goners by now if your experience wasn't available.

Thanks