Rooster or No Rooster

[tabilheu]

What is the general opinion on having a rooster? We have 12 chicks as of this past Sunday. They are 2-3 weeks old so a long way from going outside. We are not sure if we should put a rooster with them or not. They are egg layers New Hampshire and Red Sex Link. I am a chicken idiot so any help would be awesome!! I guess my big fear of having a rooster would be fertile eggs because we plan on selling eggs to our neighbors and don't want someone getting a fertile egg.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Don’t worry about a fertile egg. Unless you know what to look for you would never know they are fertile as long as you don’t store them in really warm temperatures. They will develop if you store them for a few days in warm temperatures, say as low as the mid 80’s. But as long as you collect them daily you won’t have a problem.

Fertile eggs don’t taste any different or store any different. The nutritional value is the same. The eggs being fertile is no big deal.

The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is just personal preference. Some people wouldn’t dream of not having one. Others are real happy without one.

 

[donrae]

If you have a rooster, you'll have fertile eggs.

If you're just starting out with chickens, I'd advise to hold off this year. Just get to know your hens and make sure chickens are your thing. You can always add a rooster next year, if you want. None of your breeds are particularly broody, so chances of hatching your own chicks is pretty low anyway. Plus, if you hatch your own, plan on half being more roosters!

Personally, I have roosters. But I have some broody breeds, butcher my extra roosters for food and have 30 years experience with chickens and livestock in general. I think folks just starting our are better to just have hens for a while.

 

[tabilheu]

If you have a rooster, you'll have fertile eggs.

If you're just starting out with chickens, I'd advise to hold off this year. Just get to know your hens and make sure chickens are your thing. You can always add a rooster next year, if you want. None of your breeds are particularly broody, so chances of hatching your own chicks is pretty low anyway. Plus, if you hatch your own, plan on half being more roosters!

Personally, I have roosters. But I have some broody breeds, butcher my extra roosters for food and have 30 years experience with chickens and livestock in general. I think folks just starting our are better to just have hens for a while.

Thanks for the info. I have done tons of research on chickens but obviously this does not make me an expert! LOL When I was a kid my parents had 400 egg layers but I was so young the only thing I remember is collecting and helping mom wash the eggs to be sold. My husband and I (more me) have wanted chickens for several years now. We always said as soon as we buy a "farm" we would get some and now we have 40 acres to work with. I don't want to free range them because even though we are in the country we have neighbors close enough who let their dogs loose.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Aoxa and Ridgerunner have wise words, as usual. I can't add anything to what they've said, but wanted to second everything they've said.


(in the future, if you decide you want a rooster--don't worry about the fertile eggs. Some of my eggs are fertile, some aren't, since we don't have enough roosters to cover all the hens. I don't know which is which, since you can't tell without breaking the egg and looking carefully. None of my customers know or care about the difference. This thread will ease your mind: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures)