Fertilizing Eggs

[Ted Brown]

It's helpful to think about how many chicks you want. Once you obtain your goal amount in viable eggs is when you should integrate with the entire flock. Remember to hold on to extra eggs past your goal amount. Just incase you have some duds or incubation issues.

I have been thinking. I want 8 more hens to get me to 24 so will need 32 eggs {half male, half hatch). So about two weeks to integration, thanks.

If I need more I will just divert from the ongoing production stream.

 

[McChooky]

Pullets will let a rooster get by with more than the older girls. He will breed the hens that are laying first.

 

[Ted Brown]

And I always thought thread hijacking was, at best, impolite.

 

[Ted Brown]

Fertilization process begins.

 

[aart]

Is he gettin' busy?

 

[Ted Brown]

Is he gettin' busy?

He demonstrated that he knows what he is to do but was put firmly in his place by at least a couple of the ladies.

Now strutting and flapping of wings accompanied by a silly grin.

 

[Coops Dad]

Keep in mind that a hen can store sperm for as long as a month and produce fertile eggs for at least that long after the rooster has been removed. Some people say that they can remain fertile quite a bit longer than that.

If you're intent on hatching progeny from your hens and new rooster, you might be best served if you eat the eggs for a while before hatching them.

I personally don't care if I end up with barnyard mix chicks; they seem to be more resilient, forage better and make for some interesting egg colors. Plus I can eat them if they don't work out.

 

[NatJ]

You will need to break some eggs during the process to identify fertility.

There is another way to check fertility:
collect all the eggs from that pen, and put them in an incubator. Candle them 4-7 days later to see if any are developing.

If you break the eggs to check fertility and then eat them, you are eating the eggs instead of wasting them. But if you incubate the eggs to check fertility, you get your first chicks a bit sooner.

For checking fertility by incubating, I would put eggs in the incubator once a week, rather than sticking the new ones in each day-- that way the chicks will hatch in batches, which is usually more convenient than having another one or two hatch every day.

 

[Ted Brown]

Keep in mind that a hen can store sperm for as long as a month and produce fertile eggs for at least that long after the rooster has been removed. Some people say that they can remain fertile quite a bit longer than that.

I have most often seen three weeks to clear the system?

I will follow @NatJ suggestion above. Once heard very much the best course!

 

[NatJ]

I have most often seen three weeks to clear the system?

That's what I have seen most often, too.
But I have seen occasional reports of it being longer.

Depending on what traits the old rooster had, you might be able to recognize any chicks that were crossed.

Or if you get some infertile eggs from the hens, I think you can safely assume that all the old rooster's sperm are gone. (Maybe crack & examine the most recent eggs from each hen.)