Keeping a Roo with Hen....Just a Few Qustions

[monilarac]

I'm gettng 6 chicks next week and am very excited! I'm getting 3 Rhode Islands and 3 Australorps!

My friend purchased several sexed chicks, and as we know, sexing isn't always 100% accurate. Her Easter Egger wound up being roo instead of a hen, and she can not keep him in her neighborhood.

My husband and I live on 5 acres in the country, and we are adopting the Roo so he has a good home with people she trusts
What I would like to know is:

1. Does the roo need to be housed with the hens, and if so will it matter that the hens will be several months younger?

2. Do Roos fertilize the eggs immediatly, or will I be able to gather the eggs before fertilization occurs if I check the boxes twice a day and pull?

3. If eggs are pulled immediately after fertilization, will it affect their use for consumption?

He's a beautiful roo, we are excited about bringing him home!!!

Thank you for reading!

 

[centrarchid]

I'm gettng 6 chicks next week and am very excited! I'm getting 3 Rhode Islands and 3 Australorps!

My friend purchased several sexed chicks, and as we know, sexing isn't always 100% accurate. Her Easter Egger wound up being roo instead of a hen, and she can not keep him in her neighborhood.

My husband and I live on 5 acres in the country, and we are adopting the Roo so he has a good home with people she trusts
What I would like to know is:

1. Does the roo need to be housed with the hens, and if so will it matter that the hens will be several months younger?

2. Do Roos fertilize the eggs immediatly, or will I be able to gather the eggs before fertilization occurs if I check the boxes twice a day and pull?

3. If eggs are pulled immediately after fertilization, will it affect their use for consumption?

He's a beautiful roo, we are excited about bringing him home!!!

Thank you for reading!

I house sexes together. If rooster treats younger hens, pullets, juveniles or even chicks without undo agression then leave them together. Pictures would help in predicting any problems you are likely to have. Sex ratio can be a consideration.

Fertilation of eggs is internal prior to eggs being laid.

Fertilization makes no difference in eggs that will be appreciated at the table so long as incubation has not started.

 

[monilarac]

I only have one pic of him currently, and he is with my friend's polish hen in the pic. The other hens were in the same coop/run but not in the photo.Haha...I feel silly about the fertilization question!!

Would that pic help you?

 

[chfite]

I have a vigorous, healthy rooster and 9 hens. I assume that all the eggs are fertile. If they aren't incubated, it won't matter.

Chris

 

[centrarchid]

I only have one pic of him currently, and he is with my friend's polish hen in the pic. The other hens were in the same coop/run but not in the photo.Haha...I feel silly about the fertilization question!!

Would that pic help you?

Yes, if recent.

 

[monilarac]

Here he is with the polish hen! This pic was taken yesterday!!

 

[centrarchid]

He is a subadult with nearly all his juvenile feathers moulted out. This is the worst time for his treatment of others. Not all such roosters are trouble makers, Even if he is a jerk for short-term, he will mellow. Watch his interactions with new flockmates. If a real problem, then isolate him until all new feathers are in. He should then be a better fellow.

 

[teach1rusl]

You know...a lot of people think the roo fertilizes the eggs after they're laid. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but a friend stopped by to see my chickens last month and thought the same thing.

And you know, before I got chickens, I assumed a rooster had a "thing" for mating - and I've read posts from folks who'd had chickens for YEARS saying they'd just assumed that chickens mated in the "more traditional" way too. We're all in different stages of learning

 

[teach1rusl]

Also, having gone back to reread your original post, of course you know you'll have to monitor VERY closely when you attempt to integrate them. Many people don't attempt to introduce chicks to adult-like birds until they are at least somewhat close in size, which means that they'd probably be best separated until your chicks are maybe 14 weeks or so of age. I don't know that I would trust a hormonal cockerel/roo around little chicks...

 

[centrarchid]

Also, having gone back to reread your original post, of course you know you'll have to monitor VERY closely when you attempt to integrate them. Many people don't attempt to introduce chicks to adult-like birds until they are at least somewhat close in size, which means that they'd probably be best separated until your chicks are maybe 14 weeks or so of age. I don't know that I would trust a hormonal cockerel/roo around little chicks...

I would not trust a near-adult rooster or any female of similar or more mature development around chicks. Even the latter can be integrated with strange chicks but I have not figured out how to do it reliably and hens have less reason to tolerate strange chicks than a rooster has reason.