Adding Rooster

[Chicken03]

I am being given a rooster along with 6 more hens. I have a question about the eggs now that there will be a rooster. Are the eggs still ok to sell? Will the eggs have lots of viens in them? Also, how long can the eggs stay in the coop before an embryo develops. Thanks for any help.

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are a lot of misconceptions about fertilized eggs. Fertilized eggs do not taste different, do not have additional nutritional value, and do not have any different consistency. You can sell the eggs the same as unfertilized eggs. People will not be able to tell the difference unless they have very good eyes and know exactly what to look for. The only real difference is that if the eggs are incubated for 21 days they will produce chicks.

If a hen sets on the egg and incubates it for 24 hours, you could see some development. The solution is simple. Collect your eggs at least once a day. Some people collect them more often, especially if they are in a very hot climate or are concerned they will freeze during the winter, but I prefer to collect them in the late afternoon, around 5:00 p.m. All hens should have laid by then and I don't want eggs in the coop overnight. Eggs left overnight can attract predators, especially rats.

Growing up on the farm it was my job to collect the eggs once a day. We had roosters. As long as I collected them daily, we never had a problem with a fertilized egg starting to develop, even if a broody had been sitting on it all day.

Good luck!

 

[Chicken03]

Thanks alot that cleared it up. I'm glad a rooster won't pose any eggs problems.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The only egg problem adding a rooster might cause is that he will upset the flock dynamics some. You might or might not experience a drop in egg production for a few days since the hens will be stressed by the addition of another chicken. You can get the same effect, and it is likely to be worse, by adding new hens. It is a change in the pecking order.

 

[Chicken03]

I just added 8 new chickens tonight so I'll see how it goes!