Is there a way to keep a rooster with hens and to keep them from breeding?

[arieldawn7]

I have a cherry egger cockerell 12 weeks old, just found out it was a male as it was supposed to be female, and my chickens have been my pets/hobby more than anything. He was bought with then hens and raised with them. He is the friendliest and most docile of all the hens. I dont have the heart to part with him, but I have 5 different breeds of hens and I dont want him breeding with them all. Is there a way to keep a rooster among hens and to keep them from breeding?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Why do you want to stop it? The only way is to pen it separately.

 

[TwistedSteel]

Yes but it will require a operation best preformed by a trained vet.

 

[arieldawn7]

Why do you want to stop it? The only way is to pen it separately.

I never planned on having a rooster. I was just planning on having a variety flock of hens for egg production. I have 5 different breeds, and I don't want to have fertilized eggs that are basically just "mutts".

 

[chickens really]

Well you just collect the eggs daily and everything is fine. A Hen needs to go Broody and set the eggs before anything begins to develop..

 

[arieldawn7]

Why do you want to stop it? The only way is to pen it separately.

From what I understand as a beginner chicken owner, fertilized eggs are okay to eat, but need to be refrigerated right away, which decreases the shelf life, because they can apparently be kept longer if they are just left alone after you harvest them and before you refrigerate them to extend shelf life. I was going to sell the eggs and I was relying on having a longer shelf life to be able to sell them all

 

[arieldawn7]

Well you just collect the eggs daily and everything is fine. A Hen needs to go Broody and set the eggs before anything begins to develop..

So if a fertilized egg has been harvested less than a day after its laid ( I'm out there multiple times a day) and brought inside, they can be kept at room temp like a non fertilized egg and still be okay to sell/eat later on?

 

[chickens really]

So if a fertilized egg has been harvested less than a day after its laid ( I'm out there multiple times a day) and brought inside, they can be kept at room temp like a non fertilized egg and still be okay to sell/eat later on?

Yes..I actually refrigerate my eggs but yes no different

 

[Criticalicious]

Who told you that fertilizing affects an egg's shelf life? Haven't heard of this. I'm not sure I believe it. Unless it refers to leaving an egg in warm conditions, which could allow it to develop. But if you put it in the fridge within a day or two, it should not matter. I'd be more concerned about the rooster hurting the hens from over breeding.

 

[arieldawn7]

Who told you that fertilizing affects an egg's shelf life? Haven't heard of this. I'm not sure I believe it. Unless it refers to leaving an egg in warm conditions, which could allow it to develop. But if you put it in the fridge within a day or two, it should not matter. I'd be more concerned about the rooster hurting the hens from over breeding.

I'm sorry I must have said that wrong. What I meant was that I know that hens who lay eggs with no rooster present, the eggs can be stored inside at room temp for quite awhile as long as they are unwashed. I just wondered if it worked the same for fertilized eggs. I have been reading it would be the same as long as eggs are harvested daily and never had the chance to develop. Is that true?