feed you can give chickens to make them fertile

[Akane]

Technically feed them well and they are laying fertile eggs just not fertilized eggs. Any basic chicken feed, oyster shell, and some treats (preferably greens) will give you good fertile eggs. You just need the rooster (or his sperm) to finish the job.

 

[FiveHens]

Quote:
Yeah...you're right. So sorry, whoever you heard that from had to be full of baloney.

 

[speckledhen]

All I have to say about that is

 

[dbcooper02]

Did you ever hear the term Parthenogenesis? Check this out. There's lots more on the web. Try searching "Parthenogenesis and poultry"
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/4hpoultry/t02_pageview/The_Tremendous_Turkey_10.htm

 

[ivan3]

Yes, automictic parthenogenesis in turks (Schuett's paper on similar function in Timber Rattlers is good, but direct link is dead).

Further reading: http://ps.fass.org/cgi/reprint/77/10/1463.pdf
http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2005/08.2005.pdf (focus on nasty lizards, but they put turk/parth in perspective).

Oh, chimeras, anyone (transgenics as well, can probably acquire the appropriate equipment on this `side' of the border)? http://www.poultryscience.org/pba/1952-2003/1997/1997 Etches.pdf

 

[exbiologist]

I'll be danged, had no idea that could be done in birds. Still not really a viable option for anything but an intense scientific breeder, as after years of research they managed just 8% hatch rate from those genetic strains. And they were all males, because you apparently can't get females by this method in birds.

 

[JestersEye]

My understanding of this research is that Parthenogenesis doesn't result in viable offspring, but that it mimics the beginning stages of embryonic development up to a certian point, and can be mistaken for fertilized eggs that suffer from fetal demise during actual develoopment.

 

[ivan3]

During the last three years approximately 34 per cent of all parthenogenetic embryos lived for 21 days or longer and 7 of every 100 of them emerged or were helped from the shell on the 29th or 30th day of incubation. One hundred and six parthenogenetic poults were hatched from 10,060 eggs in 1961, 94 from 8519 eggs in 1962, and 23 from 5906 eggs in 1963.

About 25 per cent of the parthenogenetic poults which have hatched survived to maturity. Some of these have produced semen containing viable spermatozoa. More than 25 parthenogenetic males thus far have demonstrated their ability to sire offspring.

From Olsen: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a784243532&db=all​

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Well, there is some truth in it. If you feed your hens corn (or nothing in the case of some), they will have a harder time laying eggs and fertility will decrease. The egg shells will not be as hard and may crush under the weight of a broody hen. As long as there is a fertile rooster along with fertile hens that are being feed a good quality laying feed, then you should be getting fertile eggs. Sometimes with heavily feathered breeds, you may have to pluck feathers from around the vent to help them "hit the target" better.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
well I was just trying to get a reaction, but I guess you saw through me? I've never heard of such a thing, besides why would I care? It's not like I've got time for it anyhow.
I think it was Silkies who started the rumor.