Fertility Questions

[Madcap621]

1] How long must you leave a hen w/roo before eggs become fertile?

2] How long will fertility last after hen removed from roo?

History: I had to 're-home' my OEGB roo but 'retained breeding rights'

May take my pullet out to him after she starts laying regularly. Ahaa! question # 3 -----would this be a safe practice????

So far the only chickens out there are ones I re-homed, and any new ones will be from the same breeder.

edited for clarity and spelling

 

[Ridgerunner]

How long must you leave a hen w/roo before eggs become fertile?

Until they successfully mate. It takes 25 hours for the egg to travel through the hen's internal egg laying factory, so the egg the day after they mate may not be fertile. Depends on when they mate and when the egg starts it internal journey. The egg can only be fertilized during the first 15 minutes of its trip through her internal egg laying factory. It should be fertile on the third day.

Not every rooster mates with every hen the day they are introduced. It depends on the energy level of the rooster and how many hens there are.

How long will fertility last after hen removed from roo?

Usually between 10 to 14 days, but maybe as long as 3 weeks. It does vary. I'd be comfortable using two weeks.

History: I had to 're-home' my OEGB roo but 'retained breeding rights'

May take my pullet out to him after she starts laying regularly. Ahaa! question # 3 -----would this be a safe practice????

So far the only chickens out there are ones I re-homed, and any new ones will be from the same breeder.
It is a separate flock living in a different location. It is possible theat song birds may have visited them and given them a disease or they may have different parasites. The protazoa that causes cocci may be in their ground and not yours. There are risks involved in doing what you propose. Your hen could pick up something while being transported. If your rooster was able to make the transition without problems, I'd think the risks were fairly small, but there will still be risks.