1 hen + 1 rooster..can it be done?

[moodusnewchick]

I love reading Pete's accent into his post.

 

[cockatoocountry]

G'Day again,

This won't be a day by day progress report, but I have collected one egg and will store all of them up to ten days worth - then chuck them back under the hen. This particular number one egg doesnt have a pointy and flat end....its perfectly equal at both ends (and covered with little bits of pooh - (can I say that on this forum?)- ahem - waste.......- I have put it in an egg carton with I hope, the correct direction sticking up

A slight hiccup yesterday when the darling wife (is that written as DW?) poached two cackleberrys for brekkie yesterday - then told me they were fresh from the nest. Nooooooo I'm eating my chickies....a minor setback.....whoops, sorry guys, too hard to put it all back into the shell....

In regards to go-veggies question, they appear to be getting on fine. We had the rooster first because he was picking on the other chooks at a friends house, then after a day or so we thought he was getting lonely. We asked the friend if we could borrow a hen to keep him company. They brought around one hen - and when released the rooster did his 'thing' in 2.12secs. He didn't even buy her flowers and dinner first!! After that however, they have both settled down fine, and am now getting used to me coming inside the little old chook shed we care keeping them in. I only get a glare from the hen every now and then...which make sense....its like having the Navy in town......lol
I am a bit worried about the only one hen thing as I have also read somewhere on this fourm that one hen will get quite ahem - 'picked on' by the male. (I think that she hasnt learnt to say "I've got a headache tonite" yet). So I might consider getting another hen as company as well. That'll make that rooster's day.... I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks for your choice and bonza comments - I'm dying to say strewth but I won't....lol

please think of me as a mike dundee yobbo.......but I'm not

oorroo

Pete

 

[Farmer Kitty]

You can use a chicken saddle it she starts showing bad rooster rash. You only need to worry if there is a break in the skin, especially if there is blood. He may pick at her until she dies-just they way of chickens. If you follow the link in my sig. line there is a sew and no sew pattern. Just click on the blue words, saddle pattern.

Good luck with the eggs. Hopefully, 21 days after you put the eggs back under her you will have little ones. BTW-Eggs start loosing their fertility after 7 days. For the first few days it is slow so you probably will be okay for 10 days.

 

[chickiepoo]

Hi! and Welcome!
I would agree with your thoughts about getting another hen. If it is no issue to you either way and you have access to one, I would do it. If the hen does go broody, you won't get ANY eggs if you don't have another hen.
Also, in storing your eggs to set, I have read to tilt the egg carton that they are in alternating the direction of the tilt a couple of times a day. Maybe even three. Now that I think about the three business is so that they are not always tilted the same way every night. This is so that the embryo doesn't begin to stick to the shell membrane.
Have fun! I do love to see a good mama hen with some baby chicks!

 

[Akane]

You could try to candle it and see which end has an air cell and maybe which side the yolk is able to float to the end. The air cell needs to go up. It's kinda hard on fresh eggs though because the air cell is rather small.