Gathering fertile eggs.....I just seperated out my hens today....help!

[thetajmahalcoop]

I'm sorry if I'm not posting on the right thread but I have been searching BYC with not alot of luck. I seperated out my pure cuckoo maran hens today into a pen, I want to collect fertile eggs to sell later. Right now all my hens have been ummmm visited by all the other random roosters b/c they free range. Some people said it takes a month until I can add in the pure cuckoo maran rooster to start collecting eggs from the hens........does anyone know the exact number or days until the hens are "clean" when I can add the rooster in with them, then how many days until I can start collecting those eggs? Thanks in advance for all of your help and advice everyone!

 

[Megs]

up to 4 weeks for semen to pass completely seems to be the general consensus, hard to say an exact day as it depends on the roo/hen etc. I would wait at least a few days after adding the new rooster to start collecting hatching eggs, depending how many hens he has to 'cover' the ammount of time required would vary slightly.

I waited 3 weeks before i started to collect eggs i hope to be "pure", i am however going to be growing these out (until they have been separated 5 weeks to be safe) just in case any are mixed i dont want to mis-represent what im selling (as a 'purebred' chick or egg).