OH NO... A ROOSTER!

[jrhy]

Hello all, today I discovered that one of my beloved ladies... is no lady. It has been confirmed with 3 crows that Rita is now Rocco. I wouldn't mind having a rooster the crowing doesn't bother me, I've heard the neighbors rooster in the distance, in fact I love it, it's so country to me and I am from the city. On the chance that I might be able to keep Rocco...(that is if my neighbors agree to it) the questions begin. Here's a stupid one but I'm gonna ask anyway... there is no way that a chicken would make a crowing sound, right? I mean she..or he , did it just three times and then went back to her/his business. Also I've heard roosters crow all day...but do they all? I mean, do some only crow a few times in the morning and then go about their day?? Then there are the fertilized egg questions...do they only fertilized eggs once a year like right before the spring? I ask because I only see baby chicks available in the spring time, thought maybe they only mate once a year. I know there are ways to check if it is baby or egg with the light, but I also heard that if you always collect they eggs right away and place them in the fridge it wouldn't matter because they would never develop into a chick. Is this also correct?? And would a rooster need to be keep in a separate house or can he live with the gals? I hope there is a way I can keep her/him, I'd hate to see him go. Thank you

 

[iwiw60]

Do you have a picture of Rita...uh, I mean Rocco?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hello all, today I discovered that one of my beloved ladies... is no lady. It has been confirmed with 3 crows that Rita is now Rocco. I wouldn't mind having a rooster the crowing doesn't bother me, I've heard the neighbors rooster in the distance, in fact I love it, it's so country to me and I am from the city. On the chance that I might be able to keep Rocco...(that is if my neighbors agree to it) the questions begin. Here's a stupid one but I'm gonna ask anyway... there is no way that a chicken would make a crowing sound, right? I mean she..or he , did it just three times and then went back to her/his business. Also I've heard roosters crow all day...but do they all? I mean, do some only crow a few times in the morning and then go about their day?? Then there are the fertilized egg questions...do they only fertilized eggs once a year like right before the spring? I ask because I only see baby chicks available in the spring time, thought maybe they only mate once a year. I know there are ways to check if it is baby or egg with the light, but I also heard that if you always collect they eggs right away and place them in the fridge it wouldn't matter because they would never develop into a chick. Is this also correct?? And would a rooster need to be keep in a separate house or can he live with the gals? I hope there is a way I can keep her/him, I'd hate to see him go. Thank you

To the bolded - do you mean a hen? Whether this bird is male or female, it is a chicken - a female is a pullet/hen and male is cockerel/rooster. While *some* hens may crow - that is when it is an older, mature bird of a few years who has undergone hormonal shifts and/or shifts within the flock that prompt a bit of a shift in their gender identity....and it is not nearly as common as some believe. Different roosters will crow at different rates - some are quieter birds while others are boisterous.
Fertilized eggs- chickens mate year-round. You see chicks in the spring because that is the best time to be raising them in a home brooder situation - the weather is most temperate and you have birds reaching the point of lay by the end of summer. Because the demand is highest at that time of year that is when they are most readily available in stores. In a home flock, hens can hatch chicks at any time they decide to go broody and set a clutch of eggs. Yes, regular egg collection solves the issue of fertilized eggs possibly developing. The arrangements needed will depend on the current structure you have available and the number of birds you have in that structure.

 

[vehve]

The eggs can be fertile year round. It depends more on your rooster's ability to perform. And naturally, without a rooster, you can't get fertile eggs. Most people want their chickens to be as old as possible when winter comes, that's why most flock replenishing is done in the spring.

The roo can live with the hens just fine, just watch out for him singling out a favorite hen who gets over mated. Usually, you'd want about 5-10 hens per rooster to keep the love making sessions infrequent enough per hen, and if you have several roosters, the fighting to a minimum.

The eggs need to be kept at about 100F for them to start developing, just collect your eggs daily, a bit more often in hot weather, and they'll keep fine. You can store them at room temperature, or in the fridge, but they should be stored in a consistent temperature, pointy end down.

Our roo crows throughout the day, he's quite vocal. I've heard of hens developing some roosterlike traits, especially with the absence of a rooster in a flock, but they usually don't develop a real roosters crow, just a silly attempt at one.

 

[jrhy]

Now mind the fact that I read that all chickens male or female may develop the red comb and wattles. So when Rita developed them I just .thought that was characteristic of her type a chicken breed

 

[jrhy]

To the bolded - do you mean a hen? Whether this bird is male or female, it is a chicken - a female is a pullet/hen and male is cockerel/rooster. While *some* hens may crow - that is when it is an older, mature bird of a few years who has undergone hormonal shifts and/or shifts within the flock that prompt a bit of a shift in their gender identity....and it is not nearly as common as some believe. Different roosters will crow at different rates - some are quieter birds while others are boisterous.
Fertilized eggs- chickens mate year-round. You see chicks in the spring because that is the best time to be raising them in a home brooder situation - the weather is most temperate and you have birds reaching the point of lay by the end of summer. Because the demand is highest at that time of year that is when they are most readily available in stores. In a home flock, hens can hatch chicks at any time they decide to go broody and set a clutch of eggs. Yes, regular egg collection solves the issue of fertilized eggs possibly developing. The arrangements needed will depend on the current structure you have available and the number of birds you have in that structure.

And yes, I'm sorry I do know that they are all chickens and the females are pullet/hens and the males cockerel/rooster, just got writing too fast without thinking it through. I'll be very disappointed if I can't keep him.

 

[jrhy]

The eggs can be fertile year round. It depends more on your rooster's ability to perform. And naturally, without a rooster, you can't get fertile eggs. Most people want their chickens to be as old as possible when winter comes, that's why most flock replenishing is done in the spring.

The roo can live with the hens just fine, just watch out for him singling out a favorite hen who gets over mated. Usually, you'd want about 5-10 hens per rooster to keep the love making sessions infrequent enough per hen, and if you have several roosters, the fighting to a minimum.

The eggs need to be kept at about 100F for them to start developing, just collect your eggs daily, a bit more often in hot weather, and they'll keep fine. You can store them at room temperature, or in the fridge, but they should be stored in a consistent temperature, pointy end down.

Our roo crows throughout the day, he's quite vocal. I've heard of hens developing some roosterlike traits, especially with the absence of a rooster in a flock, but they usually don't develop a real roosters crow, just a silly attempt at one.

We have the typical 6 chickens in our back yard. So it will be 1 rooster to 5 hens. And storing the eggs collected pointy end down I didn't know about. Is that only for eggs that might have been fertilized?

 

[carlsaSC]

Acquired a rooster in some fertilized eggs. He has been here, actively crowing, for about a year. He has never caused a problem for me, although the neighbors' response may be different. I have heard him crow as early as 0430, well before the sun was up. But, yes, they will crow all day long when so inspired. He is big and gorgeous with cheek feathers, a la Araucanas, has a rose comb and has never caused a ruckus or been aggressive.

As far as the fertile eggs, I don't have an incubator, but had an Orp go broody in late February last year. So, I went begging for fertilized eggs. I suspect that hens are more apt to be broody in the Spring, and that's why Spring chicks are more common. If you think about it, the warmer summer gives young chicks the best chance at survival. Their natural instincts would account for the hatch cycle.

We are not in a subdivision, but have 5 acres to buffer ourselves from any close neighbors.

 

[mortie]

How old are they?

 

[jrhy]

How old are they?

14 weeks