Any point to roosters?

[MimiRatt]

I have a flock of 27, and out of those I have two roosters, a Buff Brahma and a Jersey Giant. The hens lay so many eggs and we sell them, but they squirrel some of them away and sometimes we don’t find them for a week or so. By the time we find them they will have already developed some blood vessels I see when candling. Others are just dark and not show any light through the shell, which I’ve learned are not good for eating. At least, they don’t seem appetizing because they’re very watery and gross looking. My question is if I’m only wanting to have eggs to sell or eat, is there any point to having roosters? Should I sell them or eat them?

 

[FunClucks]

Whether you keep the roosters or not is entirely up to you. Even if you rehome or eat the roosters, hens will still squirrel away the eggs and will still go broody and try to raise chicks - that is what you are seeing in the eggs, they are developing because the hens have been sitting on them. If they weren't sitting on them, there would be no development, even if the eggs were sitting outside (in moderate temperatures) for a week. If you rehome the roosters, one hen will become head hen and sound the alarm for predators and so forth, and the hens may see you as dominant and squat for you (like they did for the roosters). Occasionally the head hen will crow (and still lay eggs). Some folks see value in having a rooster for free ranging, and enjoy seeing the flock dynamics with hens and roosters, and raising their own chickens' chicks. But not all folks feel this way. Sometimes the flock is more peaceful without roosters, depending on the temperament of the individual roosters.

You may want to train the hens to lay eggs where you can more easily collect them daily. What this looks like for you depends on your setup and how you are managing your chickens.

 

[Red Mangrove]

They protect the hens from predators. They find food for the hens. They assist with making nests and rearing young

Of course they're also absolutely essential if you want your chickens to reproduce

 

[FunClucks]

A good rooster is a wonderful addition to a flock. A bad tempered rooster makes delicious soup or chicken salad.

 

[The Birb King]

Yes keep them roosters are good to have. They protect the hens, stop the hens from fighting, and offer food to them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

By the time we find them they will have already developed some blood vessels I see when candling.

Are you seeing developing embryos or blood spots or maybe meat spots? If the eggs are fertile and are incubated for three days or so you will see blood vessels. But any hen can lay an egg with a blood spot or meat spot whether a rooster is around or not. A blood spot forms on the yolk when a blood vessel breaks when the membrane that surrounds the developing yolk breaks when that yolk is released to start the formation of the egg. A meat spot is when a bit of material sloughs off in the hen's body cavity or in the lining of the hen's internal egg making factory as the egg passes through the different stages. The commercial egg operations electronically candle their eggs to remove these eggs. I suggest we should always crack our eggs in a separate bowl because these can show up at any time and have nothing to do with a rooster.

My question is if I’m only wanting to have eggs to sell or eat, is there any point to having roosters?

The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few myself. But those are choices, not needs. We are all different. Some people would not dream of having a flock without a rooster, while others do not have a rooster and are very happy without one.

Should I sell them or eat them?

Your choice. Do you know how to cook an old rooster? If you don't you will probably find them tough and stringy. Let us know and we can offer some recipes.

 

[MimiRatt]

Are you seeing developing embryos or blood spots or maybe meat spots? If the eggs are fertile and are incubated for three days or so you will see blood vessels. But any hen can lay an egg with a blood spot or meat spot whether a rooster is around or not. A blood spot forms on the yolk when a blood vessel breaks when the membrane that surrounds the developing yolk breaks when that yolk is released to start the formation of the egg. A meat spot is when a bit of material sloughs off in the hen's body cavity or in the lining of the hen's internal egg making factory as the egg passes through the different stages. The commercial egg operations electronically candle their eggs to remove these eggs. I suggest we should always crack our eggs in a separate bowl because these can show up at any time and have nothing to do with a rooster.


The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few myself. But those are choices, not needs. We are all different. Some people would not dream of having a flock without a rooster, while others do not have a rooster and are very happy without one.


Your choice. Do you know how to cook an old rooster? If you don't you will probably find them tough and stringy. Let us know and we can offer some recipes.

The blood I see is usually on the yolk, and when I crack them they’ll always be very runny and the yolk will be mostly broken and have run into the white. And these roosters aren’t very old right now, only about 10 months.

 

[fluffycrow]

Your choice really. I like keeping a rooster/cockerel/male around for three reasons. Most importantly, because I want fertilized eggs, and those only come when there's a male around. The second reason, because they're beautiful. Bigger combs, bigger size, bright plumage, and of course, the crowing! I like that too! Lap roosters are amazing as well. Last but definitely not least, for the hens! They can free range in peace knowing that their man is watching over, and will call the alarm if need be. He helps in selecting nest sites, as well as guiding hens that have just laid back to the flock. Roosters are awesome! When they aren't human aggressive at least

 

[Ridgerunner]

This is what blood vessels look like at about 3 days after incubation starts.

This gives an idea of what a blood spot might look like. Sometimes they are pretty small, sometimes they can be massive. It depends on how much blood leaked out.

Different things could cause the whites to be runny or yolks to break easily. I can't remember most of them. But old eggs, eggs stored at higher heat, or old hens laying the eggs could contribute.