Borrowing a Rooster

[ruetaylo]

I am a novice urban backyard chicken keeper looking to expand my flock. Assuming we can figure out the quarantine thing, a friend has offered to share her rooster with my girls to fertilize some eggs but I have more questions that we can answer so far.

1. How long would the rooster need to be around my girls to get a fertilized egg? Does it take a day/week for magic to spark?
2. Does it make sense for me to take my girls to him (which would be MUCH easier) or would he need to come to us?
3. Do the hens have to be 'broody' to take care of fertilized eggs? Does being around a rooster encourage broodiness?

Any other guidance would be great!

 

[sourland]

Any time you introduce a bird to your flock without quarantine there is the possibility of introducing disease. Generally eggs will be fertile within 3 days of mating and since hens retain sperm high fertility for up to 2weeks, moderate fertility for up to 3 weeks, and some fertility for longer than that. Taking the hens to him might very well cause them to stop laying - chickens hate change. Hens have to be broody to set on eggs, and a rooster does not encourage broodiness. If your hens go broody you could always obtain fertile eggs from your friend. Good luck in your flock increase.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

If you want to encourage her to go broody try and start her with some wooden eggs or golf balls and then swap them for the real eggs after about 2 days and nights. Roosters sometimes encourage hens to go broody but not always.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you get a broody hen, and while sometimes I think the above ^^^ advice helps, it really is a combination of hormones, sunlight, feed, and the God's smiling on you. It is chancy at best.

It would be much easier, and much safer for both flocks, on the chance your get a broody hen, to use some of her eggs. The broody hen will never know. She will sit on anything. Or if the time of year is right, let her sit on golf balls, and then swap them out for day old chicks.

Nothing is as much fun as a broody hen with chicks. Way more fun than dealing with a strange rooster in a strange flock. Just get some fertilized eggs.

And they don't have to be from your friend either, once I called a total stranger, and said, "I heard that you might have some fertilized eggs, and she did and cheerfully gave me a dozen!

There is a real problem though with hatching, you will have your own roosters to deal with. Consider strongly what you want to do with them before you hatch. Or just set sex-linked chicks under her.

There are many ways to play this hobby, easier than what you are proposing.