How many eggs eggs are fertile after separating from rooster?

[Heathercp]

I'm going to pick up chickens from a friend this weekend. They're currently housed with a rooster and one has just hatched a clutch. My question: how many potentially fertile eggs are these girls going to lay before they start laying unfertilized eggs? Is it just one fertile egg per "mounting" or are there a whole string of fertile eggs produced? Does anyone know?

 

[debilorrah]

I was always under the impression that hens layed fertile eggs for a while, but I am not 100% sure.

 

[kyeschicks]

I would say that they lay fertil eggs for about a week. A BYCer bought 5 hens from me (no roosters) and when they started laying eggs at his house he incubated them and they hatched.

 

[TinyBirds]

I read 10 days but I think 3 days max fertility.

 

[Kittymomma]

Usually 7-14 days, but it varies by hen/rooster and could be as few as 5 or as many as 30 days. If you're planning on hatching you would probably be good collecting for the first 5-6 days. If you have a roo and want to be sure he's the daddy they'll be good by the time they get out of quarintine. Congrats on the new hens!

 

[aveca]

The hen has the ability to store sperm for several days as a survival tactic , some say up to 10 days , but I think after three your chance of getting many fertile eggs starts to go down.

 

[jnkir7]

i recieved a hen from a friend i set her egg just checking out my incubator three weeks later . i had no rooster but the egg was fertile it actually hatched . now that was may of last year and now the chick is laying ,probably not all are fertile that long but she was.