Pregnancy Prevention?

[Chickenbodhi]

I have a Sebright pullet and a Japanese Bantam cockerel. They are very attached to eachother and live together. They both start screaming when they are separated. I'm concerned about the female getting pregnant. Are chickens fertile all the time? Should I separate them at certain times?

 

[X2Farm]

Chickens don't get pregnant... the eggs they lay can be fertile (hatchable) or infertile... and they won't develop unless they're at a fairly high temp for a few days in a row, either unter a hen or in an incubator!

 

[kla37]

If the rooster is mating the hen, the eggs should be fertile. They will only develop and hatch if they are incubated. There is no difference in eating a fertilized egg and an unfertilized egg. Lots of people have roosters and it's up to you if you want to hatch out the eggs.

 

[Mrs. K]

Hens do not get pregnant, instead, the egg is fertilized and laid. These look and taste like regular eggs, and there is nothing wrong with eating them. And they will NOT turn into baby chicks unless some other factors come in to play.

Your hen will have to 'go broody'. She will spend her day on the nest, looking like she is thinking about something else hard. She will growl if you reach for her and fluff up her feathers till she is about twice her normal size. She will peck at you. If you get her off the nest, she will likely go get a drink, eat something, and then head right back to the nest.

If at this point you give her her fertilized eggs, one should do the whole clutch (a group of eggs) at one time. Then with her nearly constant setting, the heat of her body, and she will rotate them properly, will chicks begin to develop and eventually hatch.

As long as you remove the eggs on a daily basis, there will be no chicks. And even if you let them go a few days, as long as she is not setting on them consistently, you will not have chicks.

Hope this clarifies things.

MrsK

 

[Chickenbodhi]

Thank you. In your experience do you think it is healthy/safe for one male and one female to live together? The female is a lot smaller but she is feisty. I've never seen bullying behavior or fighting, just snuggling. Do male/female pairings develop problems as they get older?

 

[chickenfarmer17]

Quote:
what they said

 

[kla37]

Roosters CAN "overmate" their hens, causing feather loss from the pedaling action they do, and can harass them, but if your two are getting along amicably, and she is not stressed from too much "love" then they would be fine. Sounds like they are really bonded if they don't like to be separated! If they are a happy couple, leave them be. I think most people have a small harem of hens per rooster.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Quote:
Just keep an eye on them.


Sometimes only having one hen, can be hard on the hen - because of the roosters drive to mate. But there are some cockerels/roosters with less drive and they do less "damage" - such as bald backs or heads (keep his nails trimmed so they do less damage to the hen's feathers).



So who is the snuggler? The cockerel or pullet? I ask because I have one of each - I have a Mille Fleur bantam Cochin hen who is a major snuggler with her roo - she pushes her way under his neck to snuggle at night. And I have a rooster who loves to snuggle with a hen also - he tries to bury himself under her wing.

 

[ranchhand]

If I'm reading your past posts correctly, your 2 chickens are less than 8 weeks old. Maturity will bring many changes. I usually try for 10 hens per 1 rooster, otherwise the hens may be overbred.

You still have several months before they mature, I'd suggest a lot more reading to get a better idea of how chickens differ from people and other basic chicken knowledge.

Here's a link to help you out, lots of great info there.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/lcenter.html

 

[Chickenbodhi]

Quote:
Just keep an eye on them.


Sometimes only having one hen, can be hard on the hen - because of the roosters drive to mate. But there are some cockerels/roosters with less drive and they do less "damage" - such as bald backs or heads (keep his nails trimmed so they do less damage to the hen's feathers).



So who is the snuggler? The cockerel or pullet? I ask because I have one of each - I have a Mille Fleur bantam Cochin hen who is a major snuggler with her roo - she pushes her way under his neck to snuggle at night. And I have a rooster who loves to snuggle with a hen also - he tries to bury himself under her wing.

My cockerel is the major snuggler! He tunnels underneath my female, he has done this since they were a day old. This looks funny because he is bigger than her and, his head ends up between her back legs, whilst she is elevated in the air. They both like to snuggle me while I'm sunbathing. They run across the yard like feathered torpedoes and lodge themselves underneath my chin. They both favor snuggling under my chin but, it's a small space for two chickens! I wish I could post pics (I'm a "new egg" so I can't yet). Do you have pics of your Snugglers?