We have a rooster but do not want baby chicks.

[toolmaan]

Thanks for the advice! It looks like we will collect everyday which is what we planned on anyway. BTW we also have 7 silver laced wyandottes, they are really pretty birds.

 

[cmfarm]

I have 2 thoughts on this. The first is if it is really hot were you live it might be better to have non fertile eggs. I read in an old farm book that fertile eggs in hot climates tend to begin to develop (development starts right away, the hotter the faster) and then the egg degrades quicker because of it. This was an old book so I'm not sure if the thinking is the same in this day and age. Second thought is if you do have fertile eggs and don't want to hatch then you can sell them to people for hatching. People usually pay between 6-10 dollars a dozen for pure breed hatching eggs.

 

[bryan99705]

YES, YOU WANT A ROOSTER.... He's the first one to the fight, he watches over the hens when you're not around, he keeps a smile on their face

, and he constantly has a eye out for danger and warns the hens. He is usually the first bird killed by a intruder and will hopefully raise enough ruckus to get you to save the hens... and typically he's a pain in the butt LIKE ANY GOOD MAN

 

[celticbird]

Whatttttt!!!! Why would anyone not want to hatch lol we are addicted to it hahaha.....no I get it im just messing with ya. Best option for sure is collecting everyday...however make sure u can find the eggs to collect out here we freerange and if a hen goes missing we know there's a good chance there is a secret nest and most likely we will have chicks soon. So if you plan on collecting constantly keep em penned lol.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
The thing about this is, incubation temp is about 99.5 to 100 F. It would be unusual for the eggs to stay warm enough each night for development to occur -- though possible, of course.

I cracked an egg this morning that had been in a corner of the coop for -- well, I don't know when it was laid. If I'd been making a cake I would NOT have cracked it into the batter! I did notice that the the bullseye was a little bigger around than I usually see. I figure it was 2 or 3 days old; I know I found an egg in that spot fairly recently, like 2 or 3 days ago, so I wouldn't have missed this one that day.

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

 

[cmfarm]

Quote:
The thing about this is, incubation temp is about 99.5 to 100 F. It would be unusual for the eggs to stay warm enough each night for development to occur -- though possible, of course.

I cracked an egg this morning that had been in a corner of the coop for -- well, I don't know when it was laid. If I'd been making a cake I would NOT have cracked it into the batter! I did notice that the the bullseye was a little bigger around than I usually see. I figure it was 2 or 3 days old; I know I found an egg in that spot fairly recently, like 2 or 3 days ago, so I wouldn't have missed this one that day.

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

Eggs can start to develop at less than 65 degrees (this is why you store hatching eggs in a cool place). They develop more slowly but do develop. Here in the heat of the summer it is 110 in the shade and the nights are around 80-85.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Quote:
Perhaps you had a bad experience with a roo. Initially the hen will keep the roo away from the babies, a good rooster will learn to tolerate them. I have a rooster (in my avatar) who is raising a batch of babies right now without a hen. He warns them when a hawk flies over. He also leads them to places in the yard where bugs like to hide and has taught them to scratch through the leaves. At feeding time he stands next to the dish while they eat and breaks up any bullying. I personally love my roos. Unlike a hen he has continued to care for them even though they are now 11 and 13 weeks old.

OP: All you have to do is collect eggs daily or even every other day to prevent development.

 

[yotricia02]

Thanks for the good info everyone, this was very helpful in deciding to get a roo with my first flock (which I will).

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
Roosters don't usually kill chicks. I have had mine help raise them. If you got a chick killing rooster then I would eat him.

 

[fancychicklady]

Ok this is probably a stupid question but I got 8 chickens and a rooster yesterday and I'm a first time chicken owner. I don't want to breed right now but wanted a roo for protection. I have had them less than 24 hours & got 3 eggs. I have them in a basket on the counter. but will that prevent them from being chicks or do I need to refrigerate the eggs???