Fertile rooster

[Swilso3]

Can 1 Rooster cover 17 hens for hatching eggs?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

You'd be better off with 2 at least for that number. I start losing faith in certain fertility after 8 hens

 

[NatJ]

Can 1 Rooster cover 17 hens for hatching eggs?

He might do fine, or he might miss some. My guess is that most eggs will be fertile, but that is a guess--individual roosters differ, and so do individual hens.

You can check by cracking eggs open and looking for signs of fertility, or by putting a bunch of eggs in the incubator and candling a week later.

If not all of the eggs are fertile, you could either add a second rooster, or remove some hens to a different pen for a while.

The specific kind of rooster can make a difference, too. For example, roosters with rose combs sometimes have lower fertility than other roosters. So you would be more likely to need another rooster or less hens in that case.

 

[Swilso3]

You'd be better off with 2 at least for that number. I start losing faith in certain fertility after 8 hens

I noticed alot of my Buff Orpington Eggs were not fertile. The Easter Eggers in the same pen were