Complete newbie to breeding/hatching chicks. Need info. please.

[Shellyb]

Hello...i am new to having roosters so I'm starting from scratch with my knowledge. I have seen my rooster attempt at the hens, but not even sure what it is sopposed to look like so I don't know if he's doing it right. I have two coops. One with all EE's and the other with silkies. I bought 6 silkie's and ended up with 1 hen, 1 unknown, and 4 roosters, just my luck. I really can't tell if the other one is a rooster...hasn't crowed yet and I can't be sure by looks. My hen is laying and the rooster is very definitely a rooster so not sure why this one is slow to mature. I want to hatch chicks using a broody hen.

Anyway...I'll start with some questions but please feel free to add anything I didn't ask.

1. How do i know if eggs are fertile? I don't know what to look for when I crack them.
2. How to prepare the eggs for a broody? If i only have the one hen laying, she doesn't lay often...how good are the egss good for to hatch?
3. After they hatch...is it ok to take the chicks right away or is it better for the hen to have them for awhile (mentally for the hen).

I'll start with these for now...can't remember the rest. Thank you

 

[wistlindixie]

These are pictures of a egg of mine that everyone agreed was fertile. Do you see the little white ring in the yolk?

 

[gryeyes]

The chicken sexual act is a brief and fleeting thing, over in just a few seconds. The COURTING before - if you have a gentleman roo - lasts longer! It only takes seconds for the "cloacal kiss," which is the brief touching of the rooster and hen vents. Basically, the roo mounts the hen, she squats, they tilt their tails to the side, they bump butts, he jumps off, she shakes all her feathers out (to move the sperm up into her body) and that's it.

 

[Shellyb]

Wow..thanks for the pics. I have noticed white "somethings" on the yolks but wasn't sure if that meant anything or not. I'll have to take a closer look next time. Also, thanks for the description of the chicken love act, lol. I haven't really decided if I truely like either of my roos. My EE roo seems a bit nicer then my silkie roo though. Any more info. or pics are much appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[chicks@feathers]

Egg are good for 7 days no more than 10 days after that the hatch ratio starts to drop alot i will collect for 7days and put them in at the in of the day have been having 80 to 90 % hatch ratio doing this.

Dont worry about cracking egg to see if the are fertial or not aslong you have a roster trust him for you cant hatch cracked eggs.
a hen sould be fertial egg for about 3-7 days even if the roster isnt around her. if breeding 2 chickens togeather for hatch wait 10 days before you start keeping any eggs for hatch to make sure you dont have eggs from another roster.

 

[CCourson05]

The fertile egg will have a bull's eye type pattern... The white dot is always there... You look for a secondary ring within the outermost ring...

ETA: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008