Getting a Rooster

[angelfyre020]

I'm not sure where I should be posting this but I am undecided on getting a rooster. I currently have 4 hens. 6 of mine were taken away by a fox so I want to get someone's flock which includes 5 hens and one rooster. I would love to add a rooster but my concern is selling the eggs. I have several customers and sell a lot of eggs so can someone help me as to how it would work with a rooster? How do I know if the egg is fertilized? I don't want to sell a dozen eggs and someone cracks open an egg to find it's not so pleasant looking. I looked on this website for help but really can't find anything pertaining to my question.
Please help.

 

[bethandjoeync]

it's okay to sell fertile eggs. as long as you don't keep them in a room that is about 100 degrees with a relatively high humidity...then a chick will NOT start to develope. your customers will never know the difference on whether they are fertile or not, unless they know what to look for and have a magnifying glass. when you collect the eggs, if you want to give yourself a little more peace of mind...put the eggs inthe frig. no worries of developement for sure there.

don't worry about fertile or not, it's all ok to eat

 

[gryeyes]

I'm glad one of my "pullet" chicks turned out to be a cockerel. I love my rooster, Carl. He's gentle, he's good looking, he finds special goodies for the ladies, he fertilizes their eggs but I gather them the day they're laid and refrigerate them, so there's no development at all. I still sell my eggs.

And I eat a lot of them, myself. ;-)

 

[PorkChop]

Quote:
And here I thought we had a very special rooster, a perfect gentlemen finding those special worms and offering them up to the girls. Now I learn this is common rooster behavior? My bubble has been bursted.

.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Well, Carl is also sneaky about "special treats" - sometimes he fakes the girls out with his "something special" call and all he has is a twig or oddly shaped pine shaving. He's just using it as bait so he can nail whoever responds to the call. He doesn't do it all the time, just every now and then (often enough for me to catch him doing it), but it always works. So, either the girls are really stupid, or he delivers the real goods often enough so they're not disappointed (or "bothered") too frequently.

Every day when *I* bring the treats, he always lets the ladies get 'em first. I have to toss some in his direction for him to get any. If any of the girls notice his special stash, they'll go take 'em. He always steps back to let them get the treats.

He will crow at me, but he's never flapped his wings, danced, or rushed me, not ever. A couple of times I've had to carry him (the first two nights in the new coop) and he calmed down right away. He doesn't want me to pick him up, and will try to get away, but once I've got him in my arms, he tucks his wings and murmurs quietly.

 

[saltiboys]

I would definately get a rooster if you let your flock free range. Mine is a big protector and warns the girls of any impending danger. He also calls to the hen to let her know where the flock is once she returns from the coop after laying an egg. He keeps order and won't let anyone stay too far away.