I was wondering if I could have a rooster, yet have him neutered? I wouldn't mind having one here with my hens, but I do not need any reproducing. I am just in this thing for the companionship and egg production from my girls. Please help, Kimberrrr
Fertile eggs are no different than any other eggs. They won't make chicks unless they are incubated either by you or a broody hen. Collect your eggs daily and don't think twice about it. Many hens never go broody in their life anyway. You can caponize a roo but it is dangerous and really not going to do much of anything but help him gain weight a little quicker and be ready for the stewpot sooner.
* It CAN be done-- But, you probably wouldn't want to put the roo through it. . . . Do a site search on "caponizing". The procedure was posted very recently.
There is no need to have you rooster fixed if you collect the eggs. If you think that it is killing a chick your wrong it takes twenty four hours of a heat course of incubation to create a heart beat. And it is a very dangrous process to get the male fixed for he can die of infection or as well if he bleeds out or any thing really goes wrong since the reproduction organs are internal right under their rib cage which would have to be spead. so i only recomend a fully intact male