I just put a couple of Roos in with my hens for hopes of hatching a few eggs. How long can I expect it to be before they are dependably fertile for hatching? They haven't had a Roo with them for quite some time. Thanks in advance. gmc
You might want to keep an eye on those roos. They can and will over mate a hen and do damage to her. More than one roo in a group of hens is too many roos. They may also start fighting with each other if I am reading this correctly and they are in the same pen with the same hens.
Also watch the roosters to make sure the hens aren't pecking them too much. I only say this because I just re-introduced my rooster to his girls and they almost killed him in a day.
I had one roo with 15 hens and he wore their backs almost raw...almost no feathers left. When he got aggressive and started flogging people and sneaking up on them, he invited himself to dinner. It's been almost 2 months and my hens, moulting now, are finally starting to get feathers on their backs again. I'd say it depends on the temperament of your roo...some are just mean. Trisha in MO