Alright,So how exactly do I tell if I have a fertile egg..And If my rooster has mated with one of my hens...Basically how do I tell If I have a baby chicken in one of my eggs... And will I have to keep my rooster away from my hens until i want more chickens...
If you have a rooster with your hens, most likely all of your eggs will be fertile. No you don't have to keep the rooster away from the hens. If you don't intend to hatch the eggs, with broody hen or an incubator, just collect them daily. Collect the eggs, refridgerate and eat them, or give them away if you have too many to use yourself. When you're ready for chicks if you have a broody, let her set the eggs you want hatched, or use the incubator. If you've got a roo in with your hens, your eggs should always be fertile, so its up to you when you want to hatch chicks or not! Even though the hens may decide they want chicks whether you like it or not! Its hard to break a hen of her broodiness, but like I said, you can just keep collecting her eggs every day until she gets over it!
