It’s a Big Day

[micstrachan]

I have my chicks for this year (I think) and will be working with those. I do wish more had hatched so I had a better selection of cockerels to choose from, but that is the way it goes.

So you hatch your own chicks and their parents are your own birds? How fun! I would love to do that some day. Not ready to take on a rooster yet, though. That sounds pretty complicated and I don’t want to go there until I’m pretty confident I can handle it along with implications on my girls.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m a goof. It was *not* a large egg... just an illusion. I still think the big ones are Bagheera’s.

 

[Kiki]

Greetings,
For those of you who don’t know me, here’s a little background. I love my chickens. A lot. And I’m a bit paranoid about their health, especially their reproductive health, since I lost a chicken to egg yolk peritonitis my second year of keeping chickens. Also, I have hand raised two small batches of hatchery stock chicks the past two years, which have been my first two years of keeping chickens. As a former molecular biologist, I love learning and science, and spend most of my time here at BYC in the Emergencies forum, trying to learn and giving back when I can.
Lately I’ve been watching the eggs extra closely and got the best surprise when I arrived home from work. Nine eggs from nine hens. I think this is a first! It’s a big day.
@Wyorp Rock
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Congrats!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So you hatch your own chicks and their parents are your own birds? How fun! I would love to do that some day. Not ready to take on a rooster yet, though. That sounds pretty complicated and I don’t want to go there until I’m pretty confident I can handle it along with implications on my girls.

No, no....I ordered eggs this year from a breeder and hatched them in an incubator.
Hopefully these will become my base parent stock for next year's chicks and will move forward from there. Still learning about that part.

I very much miss having a rooster, mine died last fall, so I am looking forward to seeing how these turn out. I will only be keeping one (that's the plan) at this time, but they still have some growing to do so I've been enjoying them.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh, I’m sorry. Whichever rooster you keep, will you keep him from the ladies when his hormones first kick in? I would love a rooster, but have read so many times if a young rooster is not raised by a mature rooster to show him the ropes, it can be detrimental to the flock. Curious to hear how it goes for you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Oh, I’m sorry. Whichever rooster you keep, will you keep him from the ladies when his hormones first kick in? I would love a rooster, but have read so many times if a young rooster is not raised by a mature rooster to show him the ropes, it can be detrimental to the flock. Curious to hear how it goes for you.

I don't plan on keeping him separate. I have mature hens as well as the pullets, so (fingers crossed) my older ladies should put him in his place.

A cockerel can be a bit of a challenge, so I will just have to see how it goes

 

[aart]

Are they fertilized or for food?

Um .....fertilized eggs can be eaten
They don't turn into chicks unless you keep them at ~100°F.

Congrats @micstrachan on your 100% egg day! They can be rare.
Keeping a male can be a crapshoot, whether he's 'raised' by an older cock or not.
It's more about the humans behavior around him than the bird itself.
I started with a 'good' adult male and learned a lot, he came with his son and didn't teach him a darn thing.
Then got a male chick who was pretty mellow and at the same time learned a lot here about handling/raising males.
Hatched a new flock cock last year and it has worked out well for the crosses I wanted.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Um .....fertilized eggs can be eaten
They don't turn into chicks unless you keep them at ~100°F.

Congrats @micstrachan on your 100% egg day! They can be rare.
Keeping a male can be a crapshoot, whether he's 'raised' by an older cock or not.
It's more about the humans behavior around him than the bird itself.
I started with a 'good' adult male and learned a lot, he came with his son and didn't teach him a darn thing.
Then got a male chick who was pretty mellow and at the same time learned a lot here about handling/raising males.
Hatched a new flock cock last year and it has worked out well for the crosses I wanted.

I know fertilized eggs can be eaten. It was just are you keeping them for food or chicks is what I meant

 

[micstrachan]

Ok, if I ever decide to get a male, I’m definitely tapping in to the experience/knowledge base here. If I ever get a female sexed chick that turns out to be male, I will likely keep him, so would need to be prepared for that.
Is there a forum where people share their rooster raising experiences?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ok, if I ever decide to get a male, I’m definitely tapping in to the experience/knowledge base here. If I ever get a female sexed chick that turns out to be male, I will likely keep him, so would need to be prepared for that.
Is there a forum where people share their rooster raising experiences?

Usually posts about roosters are in "Behavior and Egglaying" and "Managing Your Flock" there are tons of threads about bad roosters or unwanted behavior.

Just remember, not all the suggestions you read on how to handle/raise a cockerel are good ones Me, I'm still learning and always will be.