Can it be as easy as just putting in a Roo?

[abercrombie575]

Ok, I have never even had a rooster in with my girls. But, I am thinking about "borrowing" my father in law's roo. I don't know ANYTHING about this though. I would really like to just do it the old fashioned way... put the rooster in with the hens and let them set on their own eggs. Is that unresonable? You all may be laughing at me for thinking that it could be that easy. What is a good time of the year to put the roo in with them? If I put him in now will the chicks be old enough to handle the coming fall and winter? I live in Georgia so it is not going to get cold here until ... maybe... November. Should I wait until next March that way they will hatch out in April and have the spring and summer to grow? I just read about everyone else putting them in incubators and turning them and all of that stuff. I don't have any of that but chickens have managed to hatch themselves out for generations why do we have to step in??
Everyone chime in. Any info is useful and welcome.
Dawn

 

[ChickLover98]

Yes, if you put in a rooster, you MAY get chicks. You have to let the roo get used to the hens and allow them time to mate. Is the roo already known to mount and mate with the girls? Sometimes the roo wont mate.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I wish it were that easy.

Are you going to incubate your eggs?? Otherwise you need the roo to be there and then for one of your hens to go broody. I have had a roo in with this flock since its beginning and this is only my second broody (I am calling her my first since we tried to force the first and it did not really work.) If you are going to incubate the eggs yourself then yeah, throw a roo in there and watch the feathers fly!

It depend on the roo and the girls - they might hate him and refuse his advances. He might be overly aggressive and hurt them. (Introductions slowly with his fenced away from them but able to see each other a while and moving them together slowly might work. Since my roo has been there since the beginning the girls just accept him and new additions just see it as the norm. But, others I know who have added roos have had mixed results. Maybe they can tell you about them.

Try searching adding roo to your flock and see what you get on the forums. Good luck!

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Nothing at all to laugh at.
It *could be* just that easy IF your hens are breeds that are prone to go broody. Some girls that are NOT broody-prone breeds will still go broody and hatch eggs.
It's sure worth a try.
edit:

You have to let the roo get used to the hens and allow them time to mate.

Here, I just put them together and the guy does his job and that's that. Fertile eggs w/in a couple of days.

Lisa​

 

[PunkinPeep]

It sounds like you're thinking that the roo will inspire the girls to hear from the mother ship and go broody. Sadly enough for us, it doesn't work that way. Broody-prone girls will go broody with or without a rooster. So if you've had your girls for a while, and they haven't gone broody, i wouldn't really expect that to change when the roo shows up.

 

[abercrombie575]

Quote:
I have had them since May 2009. They have never done anything that looks like them going broody. As a matter of fact when I come in to gather eggs they are NEVER sitting on them. OH WELL!!! It was worth asking. Thanks everyone!

 

[Peep Talk]

abercrombie -

Don't get discouraged. I collect my eggs every day and never had any of my girls show any signs of going broody. I had gotten a little tidbit of information from my family that if you leave the eggs and allow the hen to create a "clutch", then when she feels she has enough, she will go broody. What breeds of chickens do you have? I had a Barred Rock go broody and also two Japanese Bantams go broody as well. Let them keep some eggs each day in a nest box and see what happens in about a week or two. My bantams had to have 15 to sit on and my Barred Rock likes to have clutches of 13 or 14.

Keep your chin up and just don't collect the eggs...see how many of your girls enjoy being given the chance.