Traveling to breed?

[Chicks Galore3]

I wasn't sure where to post this so I hope this is a good place! My aunt is my fello chicken addict, and she just called to ask if she could "steal" my BO hen for a week or two so she could breed it with her BO rooster. She would come pick her up, take her home (4.5 hour drive) keep her with her rooster for a week or two and then bring her home. I not sure what I think. Would it be too stressful on the hen? (She's almost 4.) And then there's the whole thing with possible diseases. What are your guy's opinion?

 

[sourland]

Not a good idea in my opinion. Above the possibility of exposure to disease, the move would probably cause your hen to stop laying.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

That's what I thought. I'm not even sure she is laying much anymore because of her age. (She's molting right now, and it's winter, so I can't tell for sure right now.)

 

[RockyFieldsFarm]

Usually the male travels to the female for mating.

 

[RockyFieldsFarm]

I've never personally heard of a rooster traveling to a flock.. But why not.... If no diseases or illnesses are suspected. Cattle, goats, sheep travel for stud services. They visit the female on her farm to minimize stress levels for her to help increase a successful copulation.

 

[lazy gardener]

It's a risky plan: mixing birds from 2 flocks for breeding purposes. The risk of introducing disease or parasites is not a risk that I'd be willing to take. And for your Aunt to pin her breeding plans on her BO roo and your 4 year old hen is stretching the likelihood of success. If the hen were 2 years old, maybe even 3 years old... but 4? I wonder how good the hatchability might be of any eggs that she does lay. Would your Aunt be satisfied with some back yard mix chicks? You could find eggs from a local farm, and hatch some. That would give you a nice little surprise package, and decrease the risk of traveling back and forth between flocks for your birds.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I don't think she realized at the time she asked how old the hen was. She is planning on some barnyard mixes, eager even, but she was curious if it would work between our two flocks because I don't have a BO rooster and she doesn't have a BO hen. It looks like we'll have be satisfied with our mixes though.

 

[lazy gardener]

Mixes are fun, and they have that hybrid vigor that makes them even better!