How do I separate 3 from the flock to breed?

[HappyFarmLady]

Hi guys! Hoping you can help me out!! I just confirmed that one of my EE's is a roo. I had been suspecting this for awhile, but this morning I heard him crow!!

So, now I have a roo and 3 EE pullets (2 of which are laying). Well, I just got to thinking that if I want to breed these birds, that would be pretty cool. The 2 pullets are really good at laying in the nesting boxes. So would it be wise to move all 3 of them to a different location? I was thinking about making a small shelter in the run and closing it off just for the EEs. The girls aren't broody, but I could put their eggs in the incubator. However, when i put them back with the rest of the flock, will the girls lay in the nesting boxes again?

Hope this all makes sense! All of my flock is around 20 wks old and since I didn't think I had a roo, I hadn't even considered hatching their eggs.

 

[Arielle]

I bought 25 from a hatchery, looking just eggs and poof 3 became roosters. ANd now I'm incubating my second batch of eggs!

Not sure of your question. I take a stab at it.

A rooster can run with the hens. If you want the eggs from a particular hen you can put her and him in a separate pen call a breeding pen. Then collect the eggs , store them about 50-60 degrees and set by 7 days for best rate of hatch. Or 7 days, for a little lower hatch rate.

Need an incubator.

DOes that help?

 

[kcfuerst]

I don't understand why you would want to separate them. Birds will mate wherever they are. Sometimes roosters even help out with parenting. Let the hens do what nature intended, raise their flock naturally. Hens are good at protecting their babies from the rest of the flock. Why make so much work for yourself, especially if they're all the same breed?

 

[sourland]

Why separate them? Simply collect the blue/green eggs and incubate them.

 

[AlienChick]

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x2

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
You will hate that rooster. I have never found an EE rooster that was nice and not nasty. I love the blue and green eggs though, so I only order girls and will only hatch if I mate them with a marans. Still no guarantee that it will be nice. Good luck . Michele

 

[sourland]

Due to the wide variation in the genetic make up of EE their personalities can be all over the place. Don't give up on your EE. He may be one of the good ones.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Quote:
You will hate that rooster. I have never found an EE rooster that was nice and not nasty. I love the blue and green eggs though, so I only order girls and will only hatch if I mate them with a marans. Still no guarantee that it will be nice. Good luck . Michele

I am sorry you have found that to be true mstricer.


I have a super nice 2 yr old EE rooster, Marilyn - who I raised from a chick and I still cuddle with. He is now helping raise two clutches of his own chicks. I also have younger EE cockerels who are super nice.






But HappyFarmLady - if your EE pullets lay greenish/blue eggs, just collect them to incubate like Sourland said.

 

[HappyFarmLady]

The reason I want to separate is 1) to be sure the eggs are getting fertilized 2) that the right rooster is doing the job.

This EE rooster has been nice so far. He is very stand offish.

Just wondering if its ok to separate them from the rest of the flock long enough to get eggs to incubate and then put them all bcak together.

 

[Judy]

You will need to put the desired hen and roo in a separate coop and run for about 3 or 4 weeks, then incubate those eggs. Hens store sperm for a few weeks.