Advice on breeding chooks

[Chickencarer515]

Hi we just got a RIR rooster and plan to breed chicks and pullets with our RIR girls and leghorns. What tips and tricks can you give me that a first time breeder wouldn’t know? I would really appreciate your knowledge!

 

[Sussex19]

How are you thinking of incubating them? With a broody hen, or an incubator?

 

[Chickencarer515]

How are you thinking of incubating them? With a broody hen, or an incubator?

We are hoping a hen gets broody but will most likely be using an incubator

 

[Sussex19]

We are hoping a hen gets broody but will most likely be using an incubator

I don't know much about incubators, but have had a few hatches with broody hens. My most recent one was pretty bad, so don't presume that broodys are the way to go.
I think the best number of hens to rooster is meant to be 10 to 1, but thats only to give the best fertility. I usually have 5 or 6 to 1.

 

[Chickencarer515]

I don't know much about incubators, but have had a few hatches with broody hens. My most recent one was pretty bad, so don't presume that broodys are the way to go.
I think the best number of hens to rooster is meant to be 10 to 1, but thats only to give the best fertility. I usually have 5 or 6 to 1.

We have 24 chickens but we don’t plan to breed all of them will that be a problem if we only have 1 rooster?

 

[Chickencarer515]

I don't know much about incubators, but have had a few hatches with broody hens. My most recent one was pretty bad, so don't presume that broodys are the way to go.
I think the best number of hens to rooster is meant to be 10 to 1, but thats only to give the best fertility. I usually have 5 or 6 to 1.

Ok incubator sounds like a good bet then

 

[Sussex19]

We have 24 chickens but we don’t plan to breed all of them will that be a problem if we only have 1 rooster?

The only problem would be that you might get the odd not fertile egg, as he might not get round to all the hens always. I've never had that many hens so I'm not the best to give advice, but as long as he's young and healthy I can't see it being a big problem.

 

[Sussex19]

Ok incubator sounds like a good bet then

You can always mostly use an incubator, and then if a hen goes broody try that instead.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

We have 24 chickens but we don’t plan to breed all of them will that be a problem if we only have 1 rooster?

General rule of thumb is 1 rooster for 10 hens. More than this and the fertility may go down. Though some roosters can cover this many hens. You may want to have a “breeder flock“ where are you have the rooster with a select group of hens and then have the rest of the hens in a separate area if possible.
If your goal is to breed to the Rhode Island Red SOP, you can find more information here as well:
https://amerpoultryassn.com/2022/06/rhode-island-red-chicken-with-don-nelson/

 

[Chickencarer515]

General rule of thumb is 1 rooster for 10 hens. More than this and the fertility may go down. Though some roosters can cover this many hens. You may want to have a “breeder flock“ where are you have the rooster with a select group of hens and then have the rest of the hens in a separate area if possible.
If your goal is to breed to the Rhode Island Red SOP, you can find more information here as well:
https://amerpoultryassn.com/2022/06/rhode-island-red-chicken-with-don-nelson/

Yeah we definitely might try this, we just got him yesterday and he’s already going crazy over our girls! chook after chook I say but I totally get what you mean thanks for the advice