This new chicken owner has a situation

[dekel18042]

The 10/1 ratio that "they say" is for optimum egg fertility in large commercial breeder flocks. Your mileage may vary.

Exactly. I was reading about different breeds and one with fertility problems, they suggested for maximum fertility that you keep one rooster per 3 to 4 hens during the mating season.
I had a young rooster in with 18 hens this spring and all the eggs I put in my incubator were fertile and hatched
Several years ago I lost most of my hens in a predator attack and was down to four when I added a rooster to carry over winter and be able to hatch chicks in the spring and it was fine. When I added more in the spring and he then had twelve hens, that worked, too.
It will help if your birds have a big enough area and can free range and have other things to keep them busy. Being confined to a small pen may be a little much.

 

[Sassysouth]

They look younger than 8-9 weeks.....more like 5-6.
Do you know the breed?
Did you buy them as day old chicks?

I had to go back and look when I bought them. I bought them May 11th at the local Co-op. The chicks varied in sizes, some a little larger than others. You are right, they are about 6 weeks. They are Red Production.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

I had to go back and look when I bought them. I bought them May 11th at the local Co-op. The chicks varied in sizes, some a little larger than others. You are right, they are about 6 weeks. They are Red Production.

I can pretty much guarantee that you wont end up with any broody chickens. Those production birds have had their maternal instincts bred right out of them because of course that kind of behavior interferes with egg production and we cant have that now can we? You can expect them to lay every day until they are all out of eggs regardless.

 

[aart]

Quote: It's hard to say if the larger comb and wattle growth I see in the 2 is due to gender or breed in background, the red color isn't that deep, so maybe pullets.

 

[chickens really]

Not sure how this got so confusing? I will stick with my original post...The sex links your all talking about sound like science projects.. Any hen can go broody..Certain breeds are more known to go broody.
She wanted to know if it was a cockerel or a pullet?
I still say Pullet.

 

[Newbee58]

Pullet