After the breeding pen

[Chicken Cheeks]

I am trying to set up my first breeding pen and I need advice.

My plan is to wait for a hen to go broody (whatever breed) and put her in the brooder with some eggs.

Then I can quickly pick several hens, put them in my breeding pen, and put the rooster inside for two days. After two days the rooster will go back with the free range flock. Once I get 8-10 eggs I can let the hens back with the rest of the flock, and replace the broody hen's eggs with these hopefully fertilized eggs.

Will this work? Will the whole flock fight for pecking order again?

 

[4 ever Orpington]

I am trying to set up my first breeding pen and I need advice.

My plan is to wait for a hen to go broody (whatever breed) and put her in the brooder with some eggs.

Then I can quickly pick several hens, put them in my breeding pen, and put the rooster inside for two days. After two days the rooster will go back with the free range flock. Once I get 8-10 eggs I can let the hens back with the rest of the flock, and replace the broody hen's eggs with these hopefully fertilized eggs.

Will this work? Will the whole flock fight for pecking order again?

​

 

[aart]

I am trying to set up my first breeding pen and I need advice.

My plan is to wait for a hen to go broody (whatever breed) and put her in the brooder with some eggs.

Then I can quickly pick several hens, put them in my breeding pen, and put the rooster inside for two days. After two days the rooster will go back with the free range flock. Once I get 8-10 eggs I can let the hens back with the rest of the flock, and replace the broody hen's eggs with these hopefully fertilized eggs.

Will this work? Will the whole flock fight for pecking order again?

Hmmmm. ....sounds pretty good.
Let the broody get good and settled in her brooding pen,
while in another pen the chosen cock fertilizes the chosen hens??
Is your cockbird not living with the hens full time?

 

[Chicken Cheeks]

He is, but there are many other chickens and in this case I would only want the best hens bred to him. I am afraid of all the chicken fights if I have these separate for awhile then put them all back together.

 

[aart]

Can you recognize the 'best hens' eggs,
and check for fertility when you eat them?

Separating then reintroducing birds is always a challenge.
Best to have separation coop/run adjacent to main coop/run,
will reduce reintegration problems but not eliminate them.

How many hens do you have?

 

[Chicken Cheeks]

21 hens in the flock, but only 6 of the ones I want to breed.

 

[aart]

21 hens in the flock, but only 6 of the ones I want to breed.

Can you recognize the 'best hens' eggs, and check for fertility when you eat them?

 

[Chicken Cheeks]

No, I can't tell who lays which eggs.

 

[Mrs. K]

When you cook, check for fertility. If most of the cooking eggs are fertilized, you would only have to pull the hens you want, they bank his sperm, and would still be producing fertilized eggs for a couple of days.

If you have a standard size hen that is broody, well 6 hens should produce enough eggs for her to cover in 2-3 days. I have hatched out under a buff orpington for years, and really have much better luck setting 8-10 eggs vs 15-16. Years ago, I used to set more eggs, but realized that often times, the hatch rate was poor.

And really, you could just separate them until they laid, then let them back out with the others. At night pull them from the roost as they are easy to handle, keep them separated until they lay, then let them out with the flock. No issues at all.

Mrs K

 

[Chicken Cheeks]

Thanks!