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Think 3 days is long enough......

Discussion in 'Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying' started by They Call Me Pete, Jan 16, 2010.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Jan 16, 2010 #1
    They Call Me Pete

    They Call Me Pete Chillin' With My Peeps

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    For my new roo to fertilize my ladies eggs ?? Can ya tell I'm anxious to get some in the bator. They seems to be getting along very well [​IMG]
     
  3. Jan 16, 2010 #2
    al6517

    al6517 Real Men can Cook

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    3 days is pushing it a bit, I can tell you are very itchy to get fertile eggs LOL, Just start checking fertility of the eggs in a few days. and start to bite your nails LOL.

    AL
     
  5. Jan 16, 2010 #3
    Ridgerunner

    Ridgerunner Chicken Obsessed

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    Feb 2, 2009
    Northwest Arkansas
    Bear with me a bit.

    It takes about 25 hours for an egg to make it through a hen's internal egg laying factory before it is laid. That egg can only be fertilized in the first 15 minutes of this incredible journey.

    Let's say a rooster successfully mates with a hen on Monday. Monday's egg will obviously not be fertilized. Depending on the time of day the mating took place and when the egg started on its journey, Tuesday's egg could be fertilized but I would not count on it. Wednesday's egg should be fertile.

    Note that I said "rooster successfully mates" with a hen. When you put a rooster in with a flock of hens, he does not necessarily mate with all of them immediately. How long depends on his energy, how many hens there are, and whether he has been able to establish appropriate "dominance" over them. Sometimes certain hens will resist a rooster's advances and it may take a while for him to overcome their "coyness".

    With all this, I suggest you wait a few more days, hard as that may be. As al6517 said, you can start checking the fertility and make your decision. This link may help you with that.

    Fertile Egg Pictures
    https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16008
     

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