Roosters & their flock

[enggass]

Do roosters 'spread the wealth' amongst their hens evenly, or do they have favorites that get more attention than others?

 

[Isaac 0]

They seem to have there favorites.

 

[aart]

They can definitely have favorites......
....and/or some birds have more brittle feathers so look like they may be 'over-mated'.

 

[enggass]

Mostly asking because - can I assume all of the eggs I am getting are fertile if I know, have witnessed, my Rooster mating with one of the hens? It is one Rooster with 5 hens. I have checked the eggs and some are fertile I know, but not sure which hens are laying them because they are all Black Ameraucanas and look relatively the same. Is the only sure way to know is to consistently check the eggs for a period of time?

 

[I Love Layers]

Mostly asking because - can I assume all of the eggs I am getting are fertile if I know, have witnessed, my Rooster mating with one of the hens? It is one Rooster with 5 hens. I have checked the eggs and some are fertile I know, but not sure which hens are laying them because they are all Black Ameraucanas and look relatively the same. Is the only sure way to know is to consistently check the eggs for a period of time?

I'm going to guess if there's only 5 hens rheyre all fertile. I've hsd one rooster with 50 hens and the eggs were all fertile. If you really want to be sure for the next week whenever you use an egg that was recently laid, for something just check if it's fertile.

 

[lazy gardener]

Are you planning to hatch? Soon? When ever I crack an egg, I have the habit of checking for fertility. As I approach my incubation date, I will have a good idea, and based on what I see, my roo who is entering his 3rd breeding season gets the job done well. He covered 24 girls last season with very good fertility. If you've seen him breeding your girls, and are getting fertile eggs in your frying pan, you can assume that you are good to go for a hatch.

 

[aart]

Are you planning to hatch? Soon? When ever I crack an egg, I have the habit of checking for fertility. As I approach my incubation date, I will have a good idea, and based on what I see, my roo who is entering his 3rd breeding season gets the job done well. He covered 24 girls last season with very good fertility. If you've seen him breeding your girls, and are getting fertile eggs in your frying pan, you can assume that you are good to go for a hatch.

Ditto Dat^^^

Unless you are out there watching the entire time they are awake...you're not going to see most the matings.

 

[Weehopper]

They have favorites, but will still breed the others in his flock.

 

[donrae]

I would think they're all fertile. That's not very many hens, and one mating can fertilize eggs a good 2 weeks.

 

[Weehopper]

Not a matter of fertilization. It's a matter of over breeding the hens. It's hard on them to have a rooster hopping on their backs all of the time. A rooster can cover probably up to 15 or 20 hens. But 7 to ten hens is enough.