How long will rooster's sperm stay active in an egg-laying hen?

El Gallo Pinto

Hatching
9 Years
Jun 22, 2010
7
0
7
I have a hen that last mated with a particular rooster a few days back and was wondering how long the sperm stays with the hen.
ALSO, if more than one rooster mates with a hen, which rooster will have offspring with the hen...both?
Thanks,
Jason
 
I think the eggs could be fertile up to 2 weeks after mating. The hen can reject one rooster sperm while keeping the other I think the chicks would belong to only one rooster. I am no expert on this but if you want chicks from a certain rooster I would wait at least 3 weeks from the last rooster to make sure the eggs are from the rooster you want them to be fertile by.
 
So this means that if I keep her separated after a mating that she could lay fertilized eggs up from that rooster up to a month later?
 
Yep!
barnie.gif
he.gif
 
The average is somewhere around 2 weeks. Some more. Some less. Some can be fertile about 3-1/2 weeks after a mating, but that if pretty rare. I would not count on more than two weeks and some don't last that long. If I wanted a specific rooster as a father, I would wait for a month after the wrong rooster mated to be sure his sperm was cleared out of her system.

Only one rooster can donate sperm to one specific egg, but if you have more than one rooster with the hen, then either one may be the father of her eggs.
 
Quote:
yes

I re-homed my Cochin roo Memorial Day weekend. Just this morning I cracked an egg for breakfast, and there was a bullseye on the yolk. At first all the eggs I was getting were fertile. Now it is only an occasional one. I really thought it would all be out of the hen's system by now. Whichever hen.
idunno.gif
 
jumpy.gif
I am here to tell you that it lasts for at least 2 weeks - I am now the proud momma (or maybe I am g-ma...? Lol!) of a baby chick from 3 eggs I reserved to experiment with.
Let me explain; I got 4 hens and 2 came with chicks and they are all some of the best layers and mommas the lady had. We very careful to transport the hens "gently" ad to keep things as calm as possible and I was sooo happy when we had an egg the very first night - and 2 more the next day to! Well, I told my mom how well the girls were doing and that they would keep a good eye on the nest, etc. and she said; "Honey you know that the hens can keep the rooster's sperm in them for a long time, right?" Well - No I Didn't Know That!!! Hence my "experiment".
I am going to see if I can see any more than the 1 baby I saw a couple of hours ago. Is it alright for me to lift the hen up to see? I do not want to cause her any un-necessary stress. Also, I didn't see the baby when I looked in on them a few minutes ago - is it alright for her to have the baby under her? (I guess the hen knows what she's doing, eh? Lol!)
I think I'm being a "worry-wart".
Any in-put would be appreciated y'all!!!
Thank you.
Chihuahuas and Chickens
wee.gif
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom