How long can i leave the eggs???

[cluckcluckluke]

Thank you EVERYONE for your help you'll be happy to know that I've set 9 Araucana x RIR eggs this Morning under my RIR bantam broody, hope its not to much for her.

 

[sumi]

If she can cover them comfortably it's fine. If I let my hens store up eggs for hatching they almost always started sitting when they had 12 eggs. Good luck and I hope she gives you 9 fluffy butts!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

If she can cover them comfortably it's fine. If I let my hens store up eggs for hatching they almost always started sitting when they had 12 eggs. Good luck and I hope she gives you 9 fluffy butts!

Yes she can i pretty sure, thank you and i hope i do aswell.

 

[dirtbagchickens]

is storing in the fridge acceptable? temps just above 40F,

 

[dirtbagchickens]

This is my understanding in brief.

The roo's semen is stored within the hens reproductive tract. As the ova pass through the oviduct, on their way to becoming an egg 25 hours later, they are individually fertilized.

The semen has a viability of up to 3+ weeks. So, a male can fertilize many eggs from one mating. Or it could fail to fertilize any. Or the semen may become nonviable after a few days. It sort of depends. But the period of fertility is roughly 1-3 weeks.

Of course, many males can mate with the same hen, so whose semen actually fertilizes the egg can be in question in multiple roo flocks.

Personally, I think it is all very fascinating

I keep my roo with my 4 hens at all times. how often will he be mating with them? I have seen him mount them occasionally, but I don't watch them all day everyday. If they are fertilized for up to 3 weeks, can I assume that my eggs are all likely fertilized being that he is always with the hens?

 

[stevetone]

I keep my roo with my 4 hens at all times. how often will he be mating with them? I have seen him mount them occasionally, but I don't watch them all day everyday. If they are fertilized for up to 3 weeks, can I assume that my eggs are all likely fertilized being that he is always with the hens?

Depends on how frisky he's feeling

.

You can crack open a sacrificial egg to see if it is fertile--what to look for is found on BYC somewhere (I have never done this--I've always just went ahead and incubated, candling at 5 days, but egg inspection seems like it would be easier).

There is no certainty that any mating is successful mechanically (unless you get really personal with them), or that he hen is fertile, or that the roo is fertile. And he may have "favorites.'

But if everything is "operational," then they should be good to go.

 

[stevetone]

is storing in the fridge acceptable? temps just above 40F,

Here's a commercial resource that I've learned a lot from regarding storage of hatching eggs:

http://www.pasreform.com/academy/fr...atching-eggs/16-storage-of-hatching-eggs.html

According to this, 10C, or 50F, is a good temp for longer-term storage (10+ days). However, pay close attention to the humidity requirements (75+%). I think that a typical fridge will be much dryer than the recommendation.

BTW, I find their recommendation to store small end up for longer-term storage intriguing. Never heard that before.