How long does a rooster need?

[raisinemright]

This might sound stupid, but when you introduce a rooster to a hen how long will it take for a fertilized egg to be laid? will it be the next egg cycle or a few eggs after the rooster? If I introduced a rooster to my hens will I be able to take the next days eggs and place them into the incubator or will i need to wait? And one last question, will the hen have more than one fertile egg after a rooster has been taken away or is it one shot for one egg type of thing?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Nothing stupid about that question. It's a good one.

An egg takes about 25 hours to go through the hen’s internal egg making factory. It can only be fertilized in the first few minutes of that journey. That means if a mating takes place on a Friday, Friday’s egg is not fertile. That egg started its journey Thursday before they were formally introduced.

Saturday’s egg may or may not be fertile, depending on what time of day the mating took place and the egg started its journey. I would not count on it.

Sunday’s egg will be fertile. That of course is after a mating. A rooster does not necessarily mate with every hen in his flock every day.

At the end of the mating ritual, after the rooster hops off, the hen fluffs up her feathers and gives a shake. This puts the sperm in a certain container inside the hen near where the egg starts its journey. That sperm can stay viable for quite a while, maybe more than 3 weeks. But usually it does not last that long. Most of us count on a hen laying fertile eggs for two weeks after a mating. That’s pretty safe.

 

[raisinemright]

Thank you very much the reply! Are you saying a chicken will have fertile eggs up to two weeks after a mating? So I can collect multiple eggs from one gen over a few days to incubate? Thanks again

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, fertile eggs for about two weeks after a mating.

 

[raisinemright]

Ok cleared a lot up for me thank you!

 

[Angie16hearts]

How often does the rooster mate with the hen/hens?