Pen Mating

[jrsqlc]

has anyone ever pen mated a single roo?

Problem is I lost a ton of chicks in a house fire on christmas eve. Well now I am tring to get back on track but only have 1 roo that I can use over 2 sets of hens. The first pen of hens has 6 hens of which 3 lay daily, the other pen has 3 hens and I am unsure how many lay.
I want to use the same soo over all of the hens to get some pures and some splits.

Has anyone done this? Will this work? I have done it with peafowl but never chickens.

thanks

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

First of all, I am sorry for your loss.

Pen mating: I have not done it, but I have heard of it being done. I was planning on doing something similar with my bantams. It should work fine. Hens can carry sperm in them and lay fertile eggs for up to a month, but for the best results I have heard to rotate at least once a week. Something like, one week with one pen, the next week with the next pen, etc. You might have to tweak the time your roo is in with the hens and use the breakfast eggs as fertility testers. As soon as you get consistantly fertile eggs from both pens, you know you are on the right track.

Edited for spelling.

 

[HelenaJean]

i don't see why it wouldn't work. I used to have a rooster that was in one pen with his two girlfriends, but he had a thing for a silkie next door, so he'd manage to break into that pen every day without fail! When i'd put him back in with his girls, he'd mate with them, but the next morning, sure as anything, he'd be in trying to get it on (much to the displeasure of the rooster in there) with the silkie. If he's any kind of rooster, his sex drive will love you for it! lol

 

[jrsqlc]

Quote:
I had a roo do the same thing last year. He was rough on the hens so i put him in my pen with all the layers and NO roos. Dont ya know, he had all 18 of them fertile!!! He was a bantam cochin and it didnt matter what hens or ducks were around....HE GOT THEM!

I though it would work, just wanted to ask

 

[magicpigeon]

It should work...I would rotate a lot though