New to Roo's - what do I do now?

[Bigbogeesh]

OK so this is my second flock. My first flock I had for a year and then some stray dogs got them in the middle of the day that ran onto my property.

Anyway I bought 4 (supposed to be) laying hens from the local feed store and it seems pretty apparent to me that one of them is a rooster. It crows like one...it's gotten much bigger than the others, as extensive tail feathering and a larger, redder waddle and crest (or whatever you call the piece on top of their head! hee hee)

So....what do I do now? Do I have to separate him from the girls for fear of all my eggs becoming fertilized? I read about the egg fertilization timing last night and honestly I don't eat my eggs EVERY day so it looks like it'll be a pain to have to candle them all the time...but honestly I don't know. I am here hoping to get some wisdom from you wonderful people

Is it all too much like work and I should just put him in a pot? LOL.

I don't want to keep him locked up by himself forever either though that's not very humane.

 

[Erica]

Hi Bigbogeesh,
really the only reason to keep a rooster is for fertile eggs to hatch more chickens. So it all boils down to whether you want to do that or not?

By the way, there's absolutely no reason not to eat fertile eggs, as they don't start developing into chickens unless they're incubated. A rooster with hens can be a good thing (he'll help protect them if possible) and it can also be a total pain (crowing, bossiness, sometimes roosters get aggressive toward people as well). Nobody would blame you if you either rehomed him or put him in the pot and spared yourself future drama.

Having said that, incubating and hatching chicks is a lot of fun, if you don't mind early wake up calls (and if your neighbours are all for it).

best wishes
Erica

 

[bobbi-j]

It would be very unkind to keep your poor rooster locked up all the time. If you pick your eggs every day, you don't need to worry about a fertilized egg developing, so you don't have to candle each and every one. The eggs need to be under a hen or in an incubator at a specific temperature and humidity for the eggs to begin to develop. If he's a nice rooster, and you are allowed to have roosters where you live, I'd keep him in with the hens and enjoy him. If he turns mean, then by all means put him in the pot! There are alot of good chicken recipes out there!

 

[jak2002003]

There is NO PROBLEM WITH FERTILIZED EGGS

You don't have to collect the eggs every day.

The eggs will not start to grow a chick in them unless they are under a broody hen or in a incubator. Even if a hen is brooding the eggs, the embryo in the egg will be so small you can't see it for nearly a week anyway.

In my country people actually pay more money for a fertilized egg that has been allowed to develop to the point the chick in nearly ready to hatch. They like to boil it and eat the unhatched chick - something I will not like to do