How old does a rooster need to be to be fertile?

[ellie_may12]

My 17 week old Black Australorp has been jumping on top of my girls. Is it possible that some of the eggs may be fertile? Should I let one of the hens who is showing signs of going broody lay on the clutch? Is there any way to tell?

 

[suzettex5]

check a few of the eggs for fertility, crack a couple open and look for an enlarged white spot on the yellow part of the yolk. If you can ppost a few pics of the spot, lottsa folks on here can help you determine if it looks fertile. I think your roo is probably fertile at his age, but I'm not a roo expert!

 

[ellie_may12]

Here are some pics.... All of them have a white dot on the yolk. Some look just white and others look like a donut?

 

[kano]

The good ones are those which look like donuts.

 

[ellie_may12]

Thanks!

 

[suzettex5]

Of the ones I could see, the first didnt look fertile, but the one before the last one (the 3rd pic, I think) looked fetile to me. Even with a roo, I think it is possible that not all eggs will be fertile. But I think you have a soon to be daddy roo!

 

[pgpoultry]

If the rooster is strutting his stuff, crowing, and treading the girls regularly he is almost certainly packed with testosterone and very likely to fertilise.

I do agree that cracking a few open (especially if you are baking a cake) and using the excellent pictures provided would be a good idea,

Sandie