Oh this is interesting. I have heard so many opinions on the subject.
This is Judge William White Broomhead from page 72 of his 1939 book,
"Poultry For the Many" . Judge Broomhead was a Judge for the Sussex Club
and later went on to edit at least one edition of the British Poultry
Club Standards. He also became President of the British Poultry Club.
"The Fertilisation of Eggs.—There occurs the question of col-
lecting the eggs. How soon after the male has been introduced will
the eggs be fertile? If the hens are in lay the eggs can be relied
on about a week after mating, although if the birds are on the
point of laying, the first egg will probably be fertilised.
Another problem difficult to solve by novices is whether eggs
are fertilised day by day, or at one time. This question arises
if the male in the breeding pen fails in his duties and another has
to be substituted—how long will it be ere the second male leaves
his impressions?
Some authorities state that eggs are fertilised day by day, and
that those laid directly after the introduction of the second male
will contain his germs. Others, however, affirm that more often
than not the majority of the ova attached to the ovary at the time
of the coitus are fertilised—which, however, is impossible.
The question is one that requires a wealth of detail to be
answered, hence it cannot be dealt with in this book. These facts
may be stated: The length of the oviduct in an adult fowl seldom
accommodates more than six eggs at one time.
The oviduct is disconnected with the ovary except during
ovulation; hence the male elements must of necessity fertilise the
female contribution or ovum in the oviduct and not in the ovary.
Therefore, since the oviduct can accommodate six eggs, and of the
six one might be equipped with a shell, we are bound to arrive at
the conclusion that five eggs are likely to be fertilised at once.
If, however, a fully shelled egg is occupying the cloacal pouch
of the oviduct when copulation takes place, the spermatozoa usually
fails to gain access to the oviduct, and thus might be wasted.
When changing the male, therefore, let at least a week elapse ere
keeping eggs as from the second mating."
Those are the Pekin X Swedish crosses, the pure Swedes are smaller. It'll be interesting to see how they compare to pure Pekins.
