Number of roosters in flock.

[KM2H]

It all depends. 1 rooster and 19 hens, I'll still have a few that are bare back.

Oh wow, this is all so interesting. I'm learning lots here today.

 

[Brooks_]

So this means that they have their monogamous partners and won't bother with other hens? I have seen my roosters take turn with the same hen.
Sorry, genuinely trying to understand how these whole process works.

No.

 

[3KillerBs]

So this means that they have their monogamous partners and won't bother with other hens? I have seen my roosters take turn with the same hen.
Sorry, genuinely trying to understand how these whole process works.

No, it means that they don't think "These are my hens, those are his hens". They want ALL THE HENS.

 

[KM2H]

No, it means that they don't think "These are my hens, those are his hens". They want ALL THE HENS.

Haha... there is no hope for the poor hens, lol. Other than just having one rooster.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Haha... there is no hope for the poor hens, lol. Other than just having one rooster.

And even with 1 rooster, he may have his favorites that get way more attention than necessary, while others get very little or none.

 

[KM2H]

And even with 1 rooster, he may have his favorites that get way more attention than necessary, while others get very little or none.

Why are these birds so complicated?

 

[Tonyroo]

Why are these birds so complicated?

It's for the sake of survival.

 

[NatJ]

Also, what are the chances of getting any other color in my eggs other than my current color variety?... I'm I better off just buying laying hens for other color eggs? I find it hard to locate people selling blue or green egg laying hens that are already laying or close to it, in my area.

If one of your current roosters has the gene for blue eggs, some of his daughters will get it. Otherwise, you will never have blue or green eggs unless you bring in at least one bird with that gene.

Buying a hen or pullet that lays blue or green eggs would certainly work, and then you could hatch eggs from her to get more that lay those colors.

If you cannot find adult hens, you might be able to buy fertile eggs to hatch. If you buy eggs that are blue or green, I would expect at least half the females who hatch from them to lay blue or green eggs.


Egg color genetics:
There is a dominant gene for blue or not-blue.
Blue and green eggs are "blue," while white and brown eggs are "not-blue."
Because the gene is dominant, a hen can lay blue (or green) eggs if she has just one copy of the gene, and also if she has two copies of it. If she has two copies of the gene, she passes it on to every one of her chicks. If she has just one copy of the blue egg gene, she passes it to half of her chicks, while the other half get the gene for not-blue. A rooster can have the gene too, and pass it on the same way, but because a rooster does not lay eggs you can't easily check what genes he has for egg color.

Brown eggs are like white eggs but with a brown layer on the outside.
Green eggs are like blue eggs, with that same brown layer on the outside.
There are many genes that affect the brown layer, each one adding or removing a bit of it. In general, a hen will lay eggs in between the shade her mother lays, and the shade her father has genes for. This is not completely accurate, but close enough for most purposes.
Pink eggs are genetically one shade of "brown" eggs.

 

[sdm111]

Just stick him in and see. They may be all fine, may not.

 

[KM2H]

If one of your current roosters has the gene for blue eggs, some of his daughters will get it. Otherwise, you will never have blue or green eggs unless you bring in at least one bird with that gene.

Buying a hen or pullet that lays blue or green eggs would certainly work, and then you could hatch eggs from her to get more that lay those colors.

If you cannot find adult hens, you might be able to buy fertile eggs to hatch. If you buy eggs that are blue or green, I would expect at least half the females who hatch from them to lay blue or green eggs.


Egg color genetics:
There is a dominant gene for blue or not-blue.
Blue and green eggs are "blue," while white and brown eggs are "not-blue."
Because the gene is dominant, a hen can lay blue (or green) eggs if she has just one copy of the gene, and also if she has two copies of it. If she has two copies of the gene, she passes it on to every one of her chicks. If she has just one copy of the blue egg gene, she passes it to half of her chicks, while the other half get the gene for not-blue. A rooster can have the gene too, and pass it on the same way, but because a rooster does not lay eggs you can't easily check what genes he has for egg color.

Brown eggs are like white eggs but with a brown layer on the outside.
Green eggs are like blue eggs, with that same brown layer on the outside.
There are many genes that affect the brown layer, each one adding or removing a bit of it. In general, a hen will lay eggs in between the shade her mother lays, and the shade her father has genes for. This is not completely accurate, but close enough for most purposes.
Pink eggs are genetically one shade of "brown" eggs.

Thank you so very much for this explanation ❤