Question About Roosters and Eggs

[Laurajean]

I hope I'm putting this in the appropriate section. I have a couple of questions really. I have 7 Bantam chicks, only 5 days old, so I don't know yet if there are any roosters (they're supposed to be hens, but we know how that can work out). So I keep worrying and wondering if I have a rooster because I would hate to part with him and try to find him a home. Then it occurred to me: I live WAY out in the country, and my nearest neighbor has LOUD geese that squawk all day long, even coming into my yard. I don't mind, but my point is, they shouldn't care if I have a rooster then, right?

So if noise isn't an issue, what else could be? I've read that more than one rooster can be bad because they compete, but that one is usually fine. And they don't necessarily beat up on the hens do they? I certainly wouldn't want that.

Which brings me to my egg question! Let's say the neighbor doesn't care if I have a rooster, and let's say that the rooster treats the hens just fine. Then my question becomes, what about the eggs? I know if I take them from the nest they obviously can't hatch, but can you still eat them? Or am I eating fetuses? I don't mean to be gross, I just don't know at what point an egg goes from eatable to not eatable.

I'm not a tough farmer, I'm a nervous vegetarian, so the LAST thing I want is to crack open an egg and find something horrible.

Also, are there any benefits to having a rooster? (other than to hatch chicks, which I do not want to do).

Thanks!

 

[tammyd57]

If you gather your eggs every day you won't have any 'surprises' when you crack them open. A chick won't begin to develop at all until it has been incubated, either by a hen setting it or by an incubator. Even then you wouldn't be able to see anything until at least 2 or 3 days.
There is no difference between a fertile or non-fertile egg in taste, texture, looks or nutrition.
If you plan to free range your chickens, you may be able to keep more than one rooster. One would become the Alpha rooster and the rest would be his underlings. It's a bit more difficult if they are penned, but it can work then too, depending on breed and temperament. It's always a good idea to have plenty of hens to go around if you want to keep more than one rooster though, so they don't fight over them.
They won't beat up on the hens, but if you have never seen a rooster mate a hen, it may look kind of brutal at first. Also, a young rooster hasn't yet learned how to be considerate to a hen so he may wind up removing a lot of feathers from her back and neck, but eventually he will get better at it. You can put a saddle on the hens to prevent this. (do a search here for hen saddles to see what those are about)
If you do free range, a rooster can be invaluable in looking out for the hens and warning them of danger and even facing those dangers to protect his girls. Roosters are also so very beautiful and such characters! They are definately worth having around.

 

[JestersEye]

I have quite a few roosters (more than I wanted), but they all get along just fine. There hasn't been any fighting or bloodshed at all in our flock. It really depends on the temperaments of the roos in question. Personally, I like having a few extra roos, especially if you free-range at all, because that means there are more protectors who can watch for predators. As long as the hens aren't getting overmated (as evidenced by missing feathers or other signs of "abuse") and the roosters aren't trying to kill each other, it's generally up to your own personal choice as far as how many you should keep with your girls. That's been my experience so far, anyway.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Well said. A rooster adds a whole 'nother dimension to having a flock of chickens. Such characters. Mating does look a bit brutal at first, but I suggest you walk away and let them get on with it. Once the pullets mature to the point that they start submitting instead of fighting it, it happens quickly (5 seconds) and without fuss.

 

[marbec06]

Great responses!

 

[Laurajean]

Yes, this is all very helpful. I'm starting to wonder why roosters seem to have such a bad rap!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Cuz if you get a bad one or raise a bad one they can be a pain in the gizzard.
If you want my advice, if you realize you have one in your brood stop handling him immediately. Don't handle him at all, just ignore him or push him away if he tries to get friendly. You want him to grow up with a healthy respect (read fear, but not a bad thing in this case) of humans, all humans.

 

[patandchickens]

They get a bad rap because it really sucks to have a roo repeatedly attacking you. Or even just *once*, frankly

I just put my chronic 'problem child' in the freezer two days ago because he got so irredeemably bad... but OTOH his father is the BEST roo you could ever ask for, he has never even looked at anyone funny. They vary.

As far as eating fertile eggs... I will admit I was totally grossed out by the idea when I first decided to keep a rooster, but then you know what? It turns out that unless you leave them lying out in very hot weather for a coupla days, you will not even KNOW whether they are fertile. Honest, it takes good light and good eyesight and knowing *exactly* what to look for. Go to the "Incubating and Hatching Eggs" section of this forum; at the top there is a stickied thread about telling fertile vs infertile eggs. Look at the pics. See how hard it is to notice the difference? (A subtle bullseye effect to that little round whitish disc on the yolk). They look and taste exactly the same, and if you didn't KNOW it was fertile you would never suspect.

Really truly

Pat