Beginner Rooster Question!

[NewYorkMama]

Hi friends! One of my “pullets” this season appears to be a cockerel!

As I’m new to rooster raising, I have what is probably a really basic question, but please set my mind at ease here. We’ve got pescatarians, vegetarians, & vegans in my household, so I want to fully understand the differences in eggs from female-only flocks vs flocks with a male, so my family members can comfortably make decisions about consuming the eggs going forward.

So here goes! Once the rooster is developed enough to be fertilizing the girls eggs, how diligent must I be about removing eggs from the nest? Must I take the eggs immediately after laying? If a day or so goes by, will a chick start developing… or is that only a worry if one of my girls is broody and actively sitting on the eggs for an extended period? In the past, if we’ve been away for a few/several days our neighbor will usually care for the girls, but leave the eggs as they have a large flock themselves. But is this a no-no now with a rooster in the flock?

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[fluffycrow]

The best way I can put this is this. A fertilized egg is not a baby, or a life, or meat. It just has the potential to create those. Think of it like this. A seed by itself is nothing. Only when placed in the right conditions does it turn into a plantlet. When it comes to eggs, the right conditions are either a broody or an incubator. Since you don't want to hatch, obviously the latter doesn't apply. A fertilized egg left in the nest will remain just that, and nothing more, until it's collected (unless of course there's a broody sitting on them). So don't worry, you can leave fertilized eggs in the nest for longer, they won't develop. Depending on the breeds you own, your girls might not be the broody kind and thus your fertilized eggs will never run the risk of development. If your hens do go broody, there's no need to panick either. You can collect them within the day or so, they'll be just fine. Hope this helps

 

[Prince and Pavo]

Hello!

No question is too basic, and we all need simple things explained to us at some point!

You already know that hens only lay fertilized eggs if there’s a rooster in the flock. The only time a chick will start developing in the egg is if the conditions are suitable to sustain life; this would mean constant, consistent, and sufficient heat, so they will only start growing if a hen sits on the eggs. All non-developing eggs are edible, including fertilized ones. You will never be able to tell the difference between the two, because they look and taste just the same. It may seem weird, but it’s true!

 

[FunClucks]

You should probably remove them daily to be safe. Once a day is often enough, assuming you have no egg eaters. I'd worry about them pecking or stepping on the eggs and starting to eat them more than I would about embryo development, personally.

Once the egg gets sat on by a hen for about 3 days you can start to see embryo development. If you look in the Articles section, there are a couple articles that show embryo development per day for when you are incubating eggs for hatching them - these are a great reference on what to look for.

If you can't have someone collect the eggs while you're gone, I'd just candle them when you get back and discard any that show growth.

Unless your hens are broody, the eggs should not get sat on long enough to start developing, even if you leave them in there for a couple days.

Roll-out nest boxes are great for when you go on vacation and can't collect eggs for a few days.