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

[cockatoocountry]

G'day everyone, time for my first post.
We live in Cockatoo Valley in the Barossa region, outside Adelaide in South Aussie.
As a quick intro we hope this year to get a couple of sheep (whoops wrong forum - I promise not to mention sheep on a chicken forum lol) and eventually 10 - 12 chooks.

At the moment we are the lucky long term babysitters of one healthy rooster (ron - very original name that) and one hen - who is laying well.
If we leave the eggs that she lays (1 every one or two days) - collectively, will they possibly hatch?
The hen has been rather broody lately, but we have been taking the eggs anyway. We have decided to perhaps try and let her incubate some, and see what happens.
Of course my very naive question will be if we keep letting her sit on the eggs she lays - she will eventually stop laying them - will they all potentially hatch? Or will only the first one (that has gotten to 21 days etc) possbily hatch?

Most of the posts I have found deal with multiple eggs and hens - we only have one at the moment, so its hard to find info on just one pair.

I am happy to wait and candle etc at day 15 but off course - all the other eggs will be younger progressively in age. Do I candle all of them - or just leave the lot there and see what happens?

Mate - who said this chicken stuff was easy LOL

regards and I look forward to any replies - and I will post piccies as we go.

they spring project will be the taj mahal of chicken coops...

as we say here - ooroo

Pete

 

[crtrlovr]

Welcome to BYC, Pete!

 

[Akane]

Usually chickens would wait until they have laid several eggs then go broody and all the eggs would hatch at once. The eggs won't start growing until they stay warm enough. You can store eggs for 7-10 days and then set them in an incubator or under a broody before the hatching rate starts to go down. They will all hatch 21 days (about) from when you set them not from when they are laid. Ideal temp for storing eggs until hatching is around 60F but you will still get some to hatch if they are stored warmer. So long as they don't get warm enough to start to develop and then get chilled. If you want the hen to hatch them you can either take the eggs you already gathered and set them out to see if she'll sit on them or collect the eggs for a week, store them, and then put them out there. You can also try just leaving them in the nest box but they may get broken or experience extreme temps outside. If she really wants to go broody and you just leave the eggs she's laying you might also run the risk that she lays one or 2 eggs and then stops laying to sit on them. Leaving you with only a small chance of a couple chicks for the next 3weeks plus however long until she decides to lay again. If you collect them for awhile you have several eggs already to put under her when she goes broody.

Keep in mind broody chickens aren't entirely predictable. She may decide not to set them or even start to incubate them and give up. It happens. Some are good mothers and some are really bad. If you keep trying you should get some chicks though.

 

[cockatoocountry]

Wow - thanks for the welcome and the quick replies

I will probably collect them then (say 6 or 7 of them ?), follow Akane's advice (thanks muchly) and wait till I have a few - then place them back under the hen.

Its funny but when you wrote 60F i had to look up a temperature convertor - which said 15C which is about the temperature here during the day - its winter and the top temp is around 12 - 15C.
What I thought I'd do then is collect them and keep them in the shed (cool and dark) and then place them back when I have a few.

Thanks for all the help and I'll keep you all posted as well as look back here for more advice

oorro
Pete

 

[SterlingAcres]

I hope you get some chicks out of this!

 

[BirdBoy88]

About 2 years ago i had only 1 banty hen and 1 banty rooster and i put both of them in a small pen i made and from then on now i have over 25+ bantys..lol

they all free range now so the breeding never ends wich is good cuz means more food for us..lol

 

[KellyGwen]

I think I read somewhere that you are supposed to store eggs "fat end up" in an egg carton... is that right everyone?

 

[Gloria]

Welcome, Pete!

Glad you could join us. Lots of great info here!
Good luck with getting new baby's!

I read that too somewhere, KellyGwen. Fat side up.

 

[go-veggie]

cockatoocountry & birdboy88:
How is it with just one hen and one rooster? I was considering putting my ee's together when they are old enough and sell eggs/babies down the road, but not if it will be too hard on her. (you know, with the rooster "activity") What if it is and I have to remove her...he'll be left alone only able to look in from his coop to the hen coop where there will be 11 girls. I just don't want fertilized eggs for eating, so I don't want him in with all of them...any advice? On one of my other posts, it was not advised that I have just one hen and one roo together. I need some thoughts on this...

 

[TNtrader]

Thats right store your eggs with the pointed end down. The air sack is in the big end of the egg so if it's on top it has a better chance not to pop!