what age can roosters....

[stumble_n_mumble]

Do the job? Lol. When can I start to expect fertile eggs???

 

[Ridgerunner]

A simple question with a complicated answer.

It varies a bit by breed and the individual, but they are usually physically capable around 16 to 18 weeks old. However, you have to find them a willing partner. Most pullets that age are not mature enough to accept their advances and will very actively resist. Older hens will often?, normally?, usually? resist the advances of a young rooster until he has matured enough to quit acting like an immature adolescent and can dominate them by the strength of his personality. So the answer is, it varies.

Do you know how to tell if the eggs are fertile? Here is a link with pictures that might help. It does require breaking the egg, but if one is fertile it is a good indication theat several are. And you might have to turn the egg over to see the bullseye.

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

You should not be hatching pullet eggs. The eggs are usually small and the chick often does not have enough room to move in the egg and pip and zip. Some will hatch but a lot will die in the egg before hatch or be physically deformed or weak if it does manage to hatch.

Good luck!

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

What do you mean by not hatching pullet eggs????

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

Well, I've got this one that was fertilizing eggs at 2.5 MONTHS. Yep, 10 weeks. He was crowing at 5 weeks. At 8 weeks I moved him in with the big girls. And not two weeks later....

So out of curiosity I gave some of the eggs to a broody hen. They weren't pullet eggs, they were the ones from the 1+ year old hens. And they hatched. 100% fertility, 90% hatch.

From a 10 week cockerel. You never know.

 

[Qi Chicken]

A pullet is a girl and a hen is a WOMAN! I think he means that you shouldn't hatch eggs from female chickens less than (8 months???) old or so. The only part of your question that I'm not sure about is your question part!

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

Lol that's what I figured. I gotcha lol

 

[Ridgerunner]

10 weeks! That is amazing. Well, they are living animals and you never know.

Yeah, the comment on the pullet eggs is that the pullets eggs are usually fairly small and the eggs will get bigger as the hen gets older. With the smaller eggs, the baby inside often does not have enough room to position itself properly for the hatch, so it will often die in the shell. Some pullet eggs will hatch and do fine, but the hatch rate is usually not as good as you get with the bigger eggs. I've tried it and I had a lot better success with the eggs from the older hens.

 

[stumble_n_mumble]

lol yeah well my pullets are even laying yet and i have two hens almost 2 years old. there silkies and there egg size has never changed lol

they will be tinyyyy babies!