Rooster died, how long can i get fertile eggs from my hens?

[cutiekk17]

I'm new to raising chickens(this is my first year) and this is my first loss. Sadly, we lost our rooster last night to unknown causes.(we found him by the fence dead, no signs of a struggle and only 2 lost feathers. He was only 20 weeks old. He was an awesome rooster and i loved him.
I have 10 hens that are also 20 weeks that he took care of. I did see him mating with the ladies quite a bit but they have not started laying eggs yet. I wanted to know if they do start laying eggs in the next couple of days or week or so if the eggs would be fertile? i would love to be able to hatch out some of his babies.

 

[nchls school]

I'm new to raising chickens(this is my first year) and this is my first loss. Sadly, we lost our rooster last night to unknown causes.(we found him by the fence dead, no signs of a struggle and only 2 lost feathers. He was only 20 weeks old. He was an awesome rooster and i loved him.
I have 10 hens that are also 20 weeks that he took care of. I did see him mating with the ladies quite a bit but they have not started laying eggs yet. I wanted to know if they do start laying eggs in the next couple of days or week or so if the eggs would be fertile? i would love to be able to hatch out some of his babies.

Yes, the eggs will be fertile if the hens start laying very soon. Should they start laying soon, the eggs should be fertile for a couple of weeks. At five months old it is possible the rooster was not mature enough, depending on breed, even though you saw mating. Good luck.

 

[cutiekk17]

Thank you very much for the reply! He was a beautiful Buff Orpington. I'm expecting my Hens(orpingtons, wyandottes,and black giants) to start laying soon so i guess i'll find out when the time comes. Thanks again for the info!

 

[nchls school]

Thank you very much for the reply! He was a beautiful Buff Orpington. I'm expecting my Hens(orpingtons, wyandottes,and black giants) to start laying soon so i guess i'll find out when the time comes. Thanks again for the info!

If I remember correctly, your hen's eggs have a good chance of being fertile if they start to lay within 10 days to two weeks. If that happen then any eggs laid within another two weeks will also be fertile. Getting old-if I'm wrong maybe another member will correct me.

Eggs have to be at the right stage of development to be fertilized-that's why the 10 day to two week thing. Beyond that the eggs were to immature for fertilization and would not be fertile when laid. I have had roosters die while the hens were laying; eggs remained fertile for 14+ days afterwards

 

[aart]

Hatching pullet eggs is often advised against....
....they can hatch, I had a broody hatch a first week egg - the chick was tiny but caught in size up just fine,
tho there is a chance of deformity and non development.

 

[cutiekk17]

Thanks for the advice! I dont think we will try to hatch any then, i dont want any more problems. BUT we did get our first egg(s) today! They have been very sneaky little devils have been laying eggs where they shouldn't be and i found 5 of them! 3 of them are broken but i'm surprised that any of them are still okay from where they have been laying!

 

[nchls school]

Pullet eggs are often deformed in some way be it size, shape, or shell. Look any pullet eggs over carefully and do not try to hatch those that are not normal. That said, I have often hatched pullet eggs, some a bit smaller than normal, and all was well with the chicks that hatched.