i have a question on egg fertility

[larps1234]

if a rooster mates with a hen 1 time, how many of her eggs will be fertile?

 

[chicknlove]

Ooo,, I'm going to guess 1. I think if the hen just laid an egg the next egg would get fertilized. That's just my guess.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

My JG hen gave fertile eggs for about 2 weeks after being bred.

Some birds need to go through A.I. (Artificial Insemination) because the have trouble mating (or other things). Such as some Cochins and Japanese chickens and commercial meat turkeys (Broad Breasted Whites).

 

[Ridgerunner]

Of course it varies hen to hen and rooster to rooster, but two weeks worth of eggs is pretty normal. I'll answer some questions you haven't asked but that I think you might find interesting.

An egg takes about 25 hours to go through the hen's internal egg making factory. It can only be fertilized during the first 15 minutes or so of that journey. So if a mating takes place on a Sunday, Sunday's egg is certainly not fertile. Monday's might be. It depends on what time of day the mating took place and when that egg started its journey. Wednesday's egg is almost certainly fertile.

Hens have a special place to store the sperm. That's what that fluffy shake after a mating is all about. That is how the hen positions the sperm where it needs to be.

Occasionally a hen may remain fertile for only 9 days or so after a mating, but mosty of us count on two weeks and that usually works out pretty well. Most of the time the hen is not fertile after three weeks but there have been occasions where a hen has remained fertile for three and a half weeks. So if you want to be sure the hen is not fertile with a specific rooster, it is best to wait four weeks.

If a hen mates with one rooster, then later mates with a different rooster, there is no telling which rooster will be the father of any one specific egg. It is not "first there first served" and it is not "the latest is the greatest". It is purely random.

 

[chicknlove]

Wow! Would have never thought. Very interesting.

 

[larps1234]

jerseygiantfolk, how do you get the semen? i was thinking about this since i live in a rural are, and a rooster would be too noisey. i thought it coldnt be done though! so how do you get it and where

 

[charliesweb3k]

i have not checked but it seems like it can be one time but from what everyone is saying it can be two weeks so i need to check if this is the same for seramas