Rooster "Expiration Date"

[wsdareme]

I have two young Ameraucana roosters that have started mounting my hens. They are going to a friends house this weekend.

My main man is a Black Copper Marans roo, and I have 4 Marans hens. How long do I have to wait until I can be certain that their eggs have been fertilized by the Marans roo and not the Ameraucana roos? I know that chicken semen remains viable in hens for a period of time -- I just don't know how long that time period is.

If I'm going to incubate any of my eggs, I want to make sure that they are Marans, not Ameraucana-Marans crosses. Thanks.

 

[Liamm_1]

I believe I have read the sperm can live for up to 3 weeks inside the hen.
I too have young roos soon to be 'coming of age'. Mine are 16.5 weeks old now, and I'm trying to re-home them. At what age did yours beging mounting the hens?

 

[Mervin]

I have read several different views on this ranging from 2-4 weeks. I would think that it would actually be longer than the justation/hatching period of 21 days, but I suppose it could be. Any poultry science majors to weigh in?

 

[wsdareme]

My Ameraucana roos are 20-1/2 weeks now. One of them started crowing several weeks ago and the other just started. The one that has been crowing the longest has been mounting the hens for a couple of weeks now.

 

[SamuelMcF]

Yeah it is at LEAST three weeks. I had some buff orpington hens that were in with a EE rooster and I seperated them for three weeks and still ended up with a cute little buff chick with a brown spot on its head and muffs hahahaha

 

[sourland]

A minimum of three weeks is the recommendation. There are instances of a hen remaining fertile 4 or more weeks after the rooster has been removed.

 

[wsdareme]

Thanks for all of your input. I'll make sure I wait for a while before I incubate any of these eggs!