Unsure about roosters. Looking for advice!

[emulhall]

Dots of blood can happen in any egg regardless of it is fertilized. You just don’t see that in grocery store eggs because they aren’t considered “grade A”. They are perfectly safe to eat though!

A fertilized egg has a white “bullseye” ring around the white bit (blastodisc when unfertile, blastoderm when fertile.

Here is an image of one that’s very obvious, but often it doesn’t look so obvious.
View attachment 2231820

Thank you! That’s so interesting and good to know. I was totally wrong lol. I learn something new every day on here, as I’m still a beginner

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I totally understand this and have been told that before, but for some reason I can’t shake the icky feeling. I’m probably being dramatic lol. I mean the only difference between the fertilized egg and the non-fertilized egg is just a dot of blood right?

Not even a blood for a lot of times. If it helps, you could always just crack in a seperate bowl and toss any with a blood dot away. Just thinking of win wins here

 

[Folly's place]

@humblehillsfarm , I love that dish!
Mary

 

[IamRainey]

I wouldn't get a rooster unless you REALLY want a rooster.

If you decide to get one:

1) You're not going to known for a good while whether you got one with manners or one who's going to be confused about you being friend or foe. If you get one who thinks you're the problem, he's going to attack you when you turn your back on him. The first time it will be a surprise. After that you may feel uncomfortable going into your coop and run and you're still going to have to do that to take care of your flock.
2) If you have a rooster you're going to get fertilized eggs. I know you said you're iffy about fertilized eggs but, believe me, you won't even know they're fertilized when it comes to frying them up or baking with them. The issue is how many new chicks are you going to be prepared to feed and house if a hen decides to start collecting and hatching them? This could be a plus. BUT any number of the new chicks could also be roosters...
3) Your hens are going to be getting manhandled. How are you going to feel when your girls start having naked backs and necks and pecked combs?

There ARE reasons to have a rooster. And you could get lucky with a friendly one. Just consider what you're walking into when you have one.

 

[aart]

If you don't want to eat an unruly rooster, or want anyone else to eat him, do not get one.

 

[Mrs. K]

A rooster changes the dynamics of the flock. The chickens look to him instead of you. In my experience, they become less pet like, and more flock like, which I want, but I don’t think you do.

I really think you would be more happy with a hen only flock.

 

[Paul Richardson]

I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, and if I’m wrong just point me in the right direction.

I have one adult hen and four baby chicks. My hen did have a friend who passed and I couldn’t get 6 week olds anywhere, so she’s been VERY spoiled with human attention until her sisters grow up!

But I’m wondering for the future if roosters are a good idea for my family. I live in the suburbs for now, so this is only when I move out and get some land.

I’m a vegetarian and I’m kinda weird about eating fertilized eggs, so I don’t know how I want to go about this. It’s kind of unavoidable, right? Roos are studmuffins after all!

I’m wondering if I could have a roo be with certain girls who I don’t collect from and have my “laying” hens be away from him? I mean all my chickens are purely pets with egg benefits, so it doesn’t REALLY matter if I get less eggs.

Does this sound good? Bad? Absurd? Amazing? Lol, let me know seasoned chicken keepers!!

My dear old mum would not eat eggs from hens running with roosters when she was young but 50 years on a dairy farm changed her mind its all in the mind and take it from me once you start breeding chicks you can't stop its the most exciting pass time you can experience bringing new life into the world and watching them grow they become your babies and believe me you never want to sell them or give them away

 

[Paul Richardson]

A rooster changes the dynamics of the flock. The chickens look to him instead of you. In my experience, they become less pet like, and more flock like, which I want, but I don’t think you do.

I really think you would be more happy with a hen only flock.

I love roosters and they should love you back and respect you this comes about with kindness and treats they should treat the hens with kindness to this can be seen by them calling in the flock with some tit bit they have discovered or as i often say to them there joshing not really having found anything at all but calling the flock to them as reassurance and love

 

[Paul Richardson]

I love roosters and they should love you back and respect you this comes about with kindness and treats they should treat the hens with kindness to this can be seen by them calling in the flock with some tit bit they have discovered or as i often say to them there joshing not really having found anything at all but calling the flock to them as reassurance and love

This sounds a bit foppy now i have re read it but believe me treat an animal with love and kindness and they will give it back in bucket fulls no matter if there hens or roosters use the whip once and they will never forget

 

[catharineslover]

I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, and if I’m wrong just point me in the right direction.

I have one adult hen and four baby chicks. My hen did have a friend who passed and I couldn’t get 6 week olds anywhere, so she’s been VERY spoiled with human attention until her sisters grow up!

But I’m wondering for the future if roosters are a good idea for my family. I live in the suburbs for now, so this is only when I move out and get some land.

I’m a vegetarian and I’m kinda weird about eating fertilized eggs, so I don’t know how I want to go about this. It’s kind of unavoidable, right? Roos are studmuffins after all!

I’m wondering if I could have a roo be with certain girls who I don’t collect from and have my “laying” hens be away from him? I mean all my chickens are purely pets with egg benefits, so it doesn’t REALLY matter if I get less eggs.

Does this sound good? Bad? Absurd? Amazing? Lol, let me know seasoned chicken keepers!!

I ordered two Black Australorp cockerel chicks with some new pullets. As they grew I handled them and fed them by hand a lot. I kept a rooster scoreboard to see if Russell Crowe or Kevin was the better man for the girls. That breed is generally very mellow. I picked Kevin to stay and gave away Russell Crowe.
Kevin did all the good rooster things - finding food for hens, watching out for hawks, shepherding girls back to flock from nesting boxes (they free range on an acre and he was good at the “rooster dance” (letting girls know he wanted to mate).
However, he was very controlling (all day bossy supervision and herding of the flock). AND he started attacking me from behind after a while.
i used to ask the hens everyday, “Are you girls abused or just oppressed?”
He became very rough on the hens - beating them up and ripping off some of their combs when they did not submit!
The day I actually witnessed him shaking one by her torn comb I dispatched the butthead! They're so happy now! My daughter says we are back to the peaceful island of the Amazons.