Question on breeding...

[Chicks Galore3]

I had no clue how to phrase this question, or really how to ask it, so bear with me!

My bantam sebright was broody last summer and she raised two chicks...she did a great job and as she is showing signs of going broody again, I am WAY EXCITED. I'm thinking of giving her some eggs from my Buff Orpington hen. I want the father to be my Lavender orpington roo. (Because you can never have enough orpingtons.) However, up until the last few weeks I had two other (mixed breed) roosters in with the hens too. I did not actually see the mixed breeds mate with my BO, but I figured it's a possibility. I had to take the mixed breed roosters out of my flock because they were fighting. So, my BO has been with my LO roo for several weeks without any other roos. How long until she has "clean slate", for lack of a better way to put it, to make sure her offspring are from my LO and not from my mixed breeds?

 

[sourland]

After a rooster has been removed from the flock a hen can retain high fertility for 2 weeks, some fertility for 3 weeks, and occasional fertility up to 4 weeks.

 

[chickens really]

After a rooster has been removed from the flock a hen can retain high fertility for 2 weeks, some fertility for 3 weeks, and occasional fertility up to 4 weeks.

x2

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Thank you!

 

[QueenMisha]

I've actually found my hens to take even longer than that. After penning them up, I checked fertility every few days. With most of my ladies, I didn't see any fertility drop whatsoever until 3 weeks. By the 4th week maybe 80% were infertile but a few produced fertile eggs on into the 4.5 week mark of being separated.

 

[centrarchid]

OP, you mention several weeks with rooster of choice only. That should get you into situation where he is the sole father. When a rooster is allowed to mate a hen for several days after other roosters have been removed odds greatly decrease sperm from other rooster in track with fertilize eggs. It gets to be a numbers game, more sperm means better competitor in sperm competition.

 

[aart]

I've actually found my hens to take even longer than that. After penning them up, I checked fertility every few days. With most of my ladies, I didn't see any fertility drop whatsoever until 3 weeks. By the 4th week maybe 80% were infertile but a few produced fertile eggs on into the 4.5 week mark of being separated.

That's interesting data collection.......were the hens laying pretty much everyday, or just a few a week?

OP, you mention several weeks with rooster of choice only. That should get you into situation where he is the sole father. When a rooster is allowed to mate a hen for several days after other roosters have been removed odds greatly decrease sperm from other rooster in track with fertilize eggs. It gets to be a numbers game, more sperm means better competitor in sperm competition.

I've read of this multiple times and it makes sense, newer swimmers better swimmers......
....would be hard to test unless you hatched a ton of eggs out....lol!

I had no clue how to phrase this question, or really how to ask it, so bear with me!

My bantam sebright was broody last summer and she raised two chicks...she did a great job and as she is showing signs of going broody again, I am WAY EXCITED. I'm thinking of giving her some eggs from my Buff Orpington hen. I want the father to be my Lavender orpington roo. (Because you can never have enough orpingtons.) However, up until the last few weeks I had two other (mixed breed) roosters in with the hens too. I did not actually see the mixed breeds mate with my BO, but I figured it's a possibility. I had to take the mixed breed roosters out of my flock because they were fighting. So, my BO has been with my LO roo for several weeks without any other roos. How long until she has "clean slate", for lack of a better way to put it, to make sure her offspring are from my LO and not from my mixed breeds?

I'd bet that by the time she's setting tight for a week or so the LO will dominate in fertilization percentage.

 

[centrarchid]

I've read of this multiple times and it makes sense, newer swimmers better swimmers......
....would be hard to test unless you hatched a ton of eggs out....lol!

You can test with genetic markers. When I have a game hen covered by an American Dominique then switch her over to a game cock, I have the black allele to indicate if American Dominique is responsible for a given fertization. If chick not black, then game cock is the father. Several other markers also work although most not good ad hatch.

 

[QueenMisha]

That's interesting data collection.......were the hens laying pretty much everyday, or just a few a week?

They were my Booted Bantams and Silkies, so production was between 4-6 eggs per week per hen (mostly the BBs; they are very impressive layers!)

 

[aart]

Quote: Yes, exactly my point ..... you'd have hatch out a bunch of chicks to know which sperm prevailed.