A Question About Roosters

[Sparrows]

I had a question that I can't find an answer to...
I want to eventually raise heritage chicks so I wouldn't have to rebuy chicks every year, but I'm not sure what to do with the roosters...
I have personally don't like the idea of ever eating a fertilized egg cause to me life has technically started, and I know that I can't ever keep a rooster from mating.
So my question is how do I keep the roosters that I want to breed with, separated from my hens without causing the rooster's stress or making them unhappy.
Would they be ok living without the hens or should I have some hens for the sole purpose of keeping roosters company?
Thank you for taking the time to help me.

 

[Apis mellifera]

You would need a separate coop for the rooster. Honestly I would say skip having a rooster and just buy hens when you want them. Or try and get over the fertilized egg hang up. Humans have been eating eggs for over a hundred thousand years. It's no big deal, you can't have it both ways.

Or sell the eggs so they don't get wasted.

 

[NatJ]

I have personally don't like the idea of ever eating a fertilized egg cause to me life has technically started

When you hatch eggs, half of the chicks will be males. What are you going to do with them? Eat them?

If you are willing to eat chickens you raised, would that be somehow different than eating fertilized eggs?

So my question is how do I keep the roosters that I want to breed with, separated from my hens without causing the rooster's stress or making them unhappy.
Would they be ok living without the hens or should I have some hens for the sole purpose of keeping roosters company?

You could keep two flocks: one is the breeding flock (hens + rooster) and the other is a hen-only flock for laying eggs.

A two-flock situation is pretty common when people want to collect hatching eggs from just the best hens, while continuing to eat eggs from the other ones.

Of course the "best" hens are determined by your own goals: they might be closest to the Standard of Perfection for their breed, or they might be the ones that grew fastest when they were young (if you are selecting for meat qualities), or they might be the oldest hens (selecting for longevity and good health), or the ones that did/didn't go broody (depending on which direction you want to select that), or any other points that matter to you.

But when enough chicks have been hatched, most people eat eggs from both flocks, or re-combine into a single flock and eat all the eggs. If eating the fertile eggs will really bother you, I suppose you could cook them and feed them back to the chickens, who will enjoy them very much.

 

[Sparrows]

When you hatch eggs, half of the chicks will be males. What are you going to do with them? Eat them?

If you are willing to eat chickens you raised, would that be somehow different than eating fertilized eggs?


You could keep two flocks: one is the breeding flock (hens + rooster) and the other is a hen-only flock for laying eggs.

A two-flock situation is pretty common when people want to collect hatching eggs from just the best hens, while continuing to eat eggs from the other ones.

Of course the "best" hens are determined by your own goals: they might be closest to the Standard of Perfection for their breed, or they might be the ones that grew fastest when they were young (if you are selecting for meat qualities), or they might be the oldest hens (selecting for longevity and good health), or the ones that did/didn't go broody (depending on which direction you want to select that), or any other points that matter to you.

But when enough chicks have been hatched, most people eat eggs from both flocks, or re-combine into a single flock and eat all the eggs. If eating the fertile eggs will really bother you, I suppose you could cook them and feed them back to the chickens, who will enjoy them very much.

Thank you so much for replying! Yes, I want to raise birds for meat and eggs. The thing about eating a fertilized egg to me is just life started and there is blood and the Bible says not to eat blood, and I don't mind adult chicken meat cause I can butcher them "kosher" i believe the term is. That scenario sounds ideal, I just wanted to know which path to take so all of my chickens would be happy. I wouldn't mind cooking up the fertilized eggs for my chickens at all!
Again thanks so much for replying

 

[NatJ]

The thing about eating a fertilized egg to me is just life started and there is blood and the Bible says not to eat blood

At the stage you would eat the egg, I don't think there is any actual blood yet. I mean that in a very literal sense: it needs a certain amount of growth before it forms any cells that are actual blood cells.

Another way to think about it is, if the Bible allows eating eggs, it would have to allow eating fertilized eggs. Keeping hens in a pen with no rooster is quite a modern thing, that would have been pretty much unknown and impractical at the time the Bible was written.

and I don't mind adult chicken meat cause I can butcher them "kosher" i believe the term is.

According to a quick internet search...
"fertile eggs are kosher, provided there is no blood spot"
(I saw it on quite a few different sites, with pretty much identical wording each place.)

That scenario sounds ideal, I just wanted to know which path to take so all of my chickens would be happy. I wouldn't mind cooking up the fertilized eggs for my chickens at all!

Yes, feeding the fertilized eggs to the chickens will definitely work, unless you decide to eat them yourself after all.

 

[Sparrows]

At the stage you would eat the egg, I don't think there is any actual blood yet. I mean that in a very literal sense: it needs a certain amount of growth before it forms any cells that are actual blood cells.

Another way to think about it is, if the Bible allows eating eggs, it would have to allow eating fertilized eggs. Keeping hens in a pen with no rooster is quite a modern thing, that would have been pretty much unknown and impractical at the time the Bible was written.


According to a quick internet search...
"fertile eggs are kosher, provided there is no blood spot"
(I saw it on quite a few different sites, with pretty much identical wording each place.)


Yes, feeding the fertilized eggs to the chickens will definitely work, unless you decide to eat them yourself after all.

Thank you I have never thought of it that way before... I'll have to study and pray about it some... Thank you for taking the time to research my concerns for me and to answer me again, it was very nice of you

 

[Altairsky]

There can be a blood spot in sterile eggs too.
If you collect the eggs every day and put them in the refrigerator during the hottest months of the year there will never be development.

 

[Sparrows]

There can be a blood spot in sterile eggs too.
If you collect the eggs every day and put them in the refrigerator during the hottest months of the year there will never be development.

Thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you have a religious advisor talk to them about this. It might help get clarity for you.

I'm not out to change anyone's religious views, those are personal as far as I'm concerned. But I'll mention a few things.

A fertile egg will develop a bit while still inside the hen's body due to her body temperature. That's why you can see the bull's eye in a fertile egg. But once the egg is laid development comes real close to zero. It never really hits zero or the embryo would die but it can get really close. Technically I don't know when the first blood is developed, if blood and not life is your concern. I strongly suspect you would have to incubate that egg for a while before blood actually develops. You're sure not going to see any if that egg is not incubated.

Then there is Altairsky's point. Before the yolk is released to begin its journey through the hen's internal egg-making factory it grows inside a membrane that is covered in blood vessels. Those blood vessels bring nutrients for the yolk to grow. When it is released to start its internal journey that membrane splits. It generally splits along a line that does not have any blood vessels but occasionally accidents happen. When a blood vessel is opened a drop or more of blood can be put on that yolk and stays there throughout the egg making process. That's called a blood spot. According to the Egg Quality Guide between 2% and 4% of all commercial eggs have some blood in them. The commercial egg laying operations electronically candle their eggs to remove them from the ones they sell to us. They typically sell those eggs at a reduced price to pet food manufactures or others. These blood spots have nothing to do with fertility.

I doubt if I've made your decision any easier. Good luck!

 

[Sparrows]

If you have a religious advisor talk to them about this. It might help get clarity for you.

I'm not out to change anyone's religious views, those are personal as far as I'm concerned. But I'll mention a few things.

A fertile egg will develop a bit while still inside the hen's body due to her body temperature. That's why you can see the bull's eye in a fertile egg. But once the egg is laid development comes real close to zero. It never really hits zero or the embryo would die but it can get really close. Technically I don't know when the first blood is developed, if blood and not life is your concern. I strongly suspect you would have to incubate that egg for a while before blood actually develops. You're sure not going to see any if that egg is not incubated.

Then there is Altairsky's point. Before the yolk is released to begin its journey through the hen's internal egg-making factory it grows inside a membrane that is covered in blood vessels. Those blood vessels bring nutrients for the yolk to grow. When it is released to start its internal journey that membrane splits. It generally splits along a line that does not have any blood vessels but occasionally accidents happen. When a blood vessel is opened a drop or more of blood can be put on that yolk and stays there throughout the egg making process. That's called a blood spot. According to the Egg Quality Guide between 2% and 4% of all commercial eggs have some blood in them. The commercial egg laying operations electronically candle their eggs to remove them from the ones they sell to us. They typically sell those eggs at a reduced price to pet food manufactures or others. These blood spots have nothing to do with fertility.

I doubt if I've made your decision any easier. Good luck!

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate everyone's willingness to help me. I am still studying and praying about it but I will let everyone know what my decision is.