Q. About Roosters & Laying hens

[Ersula]

We don't have a flock yet, but I have a couple questions about how you would maintain a flock like this:

I want a rooster for help protecting our flock (We'll be out with them while they're free ranging though). I wouldn't mind fertilized eggs for baby chicks, although my first goal is to have eggs for eating. Is there a way to do this? If we have about 12 hens & 1 rooster, is there a way to know if some eggs are fertilized (aka don't eat 'em!). Or is this not really possible to have this type of flock?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

HI,

I have 13 hens and 1 rooster. The eggs that I get could be either fertile or not fertile. I do notice however that
some of the eggs have a little red dot on the yoke. Like the size of a pin dot. I am assuming that the egg
was a fertile egg. I have my roo for protection because I free range my flock and if I ever wanted to
have a few chicks running around I do not have to order chicks again. I can just lot old Roy take care of
that part. For now I am eating the egg fertile or not.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Quote:
You can certainly eat fertilized eggs, there's no problem there. I have 7 roosters in with my flock of 41 girls and I eat fertilized eggs. There is no difference in egg taste or calories. It's one extra cell in the egg.

You can do a search at the top here for fertilized egg picture... you can tell if the egg is fertilized or not after cracking it open and looking at the yolk. A ring around the egg on the yolk means fertilized, just a small white dot of an egg is not fertilized. With 1 roo per 12 hens you'll have excellent fertilization rates. I frequently had 100% fertility and hatches on my own eggs with 1 roo per 33 hens. He was a busy boy.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fancy markets sell fertilized eggs, in many cases, without ever mentioning it. Frankly, 99% of people could never, ever see or detect the difference in any way. Even those of us who LOOK sometimes cannot see the speck.

 

[Ersula]

Thanks for your input and reassurance! lol I just hate to think I'm eating a baby! Haha I've only had regular house-pets so I'm not accustomed to "the ways of the farm", but I will be!

I'm so thankful for the information that you shared with me =]