Separating and reintroducing

[jaywin]

Hi all
I am about to separate 5 Australorp hens and the Australorp rooster. I want some pure breed eggs to hatch and also I think he is treading all the hens apart from the Australorps - I’ve never seen him tread one of them but have seen him tread all the others. I also think it will be a good idea to give the others a rest as he is taking feathers of some of them - I have put saddles on but even though he has 30 hens with him he is obviously quite rampant!
the question is how long can I keep them separate without it causing too much of an issue when they all go back together? Or will it be ok as there will be five going back - all quite high up the current pecking order, plus the Roo?

 

[aart]

Can you tell the Aussie eggs from the others...have you checked yolks for fertility?
You only have 1 male with 30 females?
How you separate may depend on how your coop and run is set up.
Always good to keep them in sight as close as possible.
Dimensions, and, pics of coop and run is always helpful.

 

[jaywin]

Can you tell the Aussie eggs from the others...have you checked yolks for fertility?
You only have 1 male with 30 females?
How you separate may depend on how your coop and run is set up.
Always good to keep them in sight as close as possible.
Dimensions, and, pics of coop and run is always helpful.

Hi no I can’t tell the Australorp eggs from the others yet and it will be interesting to see if they are fertile now he’s just with them. Sadly I can’t set it up so they can all still see each other that would have been great
Yes he’s got 30 hens to himself but never seen him tread an Australorp and I spend a lot of time with them. He takes the easy options and treads the smaller ones instead!
what is the best way to check if the eggs are fertile do you think? Spot or donut shape on the yolk? Which is which and is there a better way cos I can’t seem to see either on the yolks when I look
Many thanks

 

[aart]

what is the best way to check if the eggs are fertile do you think? Spot or donut shape on the yolk?

That's how I do it.....it does take some practice.
I look almost every time I open an egg to eat.