How often does a rooster...?

smileysjs1

In the Brooder
11 Years
Jun 12, 2008
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So I'm thinking of buying a rooster. I think he's only about 2-3 months old. I was wondering how often does a rooster try to mate and at what age do they start? This will sound stupid: but if a hen is laying how do you know which are the fertilized ones?
 
LOL! Get one and see what happens!
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If it's anything like my rooster, he wants to mate pretty much all the time except when he's eating, sleeping, or just on the roost.

You know, I don't know how you tell a fertilized egg from an unfertilized one.... We'll have to wait for those more experienced to answer.
 
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They start mating at 4-6 months depending on the breed and how soon they get the urge, and then will mate several times a day. In the egg laying topic there are some pics of fertilized eggs. You're looking for a bullseye on the yolk to indicate that the egg is fertile, not just a white spot. I'll find the thread and edit it it!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008

Here's the link!
 
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My most recent cockerel began mating at 16 weeks; at the very top of this Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying, you'll see a "stickied" post (a post that's always at the top) that will show you the difference between a fertile & INfertile egg. You can't tell unless you break it open.
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The thread that cjeanean is referring to was posted by speckledhen and is a sticky in the Chicken Behaviors and Egg Laying section.
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I;m only asking about the fertile/unfertile egg because I was thinking I might sell some of the eggs. So in that case i'd have to save some and just wait and see if any hatch then?
 
I;m only asking about the fertile/unfertile egg because I was thinking I might sell some of the eggs. So in that case i'd have to save some and just wait and see if any hatch then?

Crack a few open from the hens eggs you were thinking of selling and if those are fertile she will prob always be fertile unless you take the roo away.​
 
My alpha roo thinks about mating more than he thinks about breathing, I swear!
We eat every egg, fertile or not.
 
If you have a rooster and he's mating the hens, you can pretty much guarantee that all of your eggs will be fertilized. Unlike a human, hens can hold the rooster's sperm in their bodies for a very long time, so you need to separate a hen from a rooster for quite a few weeks if you want to make sure her eggs are unfertilized.

As for eating them, you can't taste the difference and it doesn't alter the nutritional content. I doubt most people worry about it if they have a rooster.
 

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