When a rooster breeds

[chickengeorgeto]

when a rooster breeds with a hen, how long are her eggs considered fertilized??? Just the next egg she lays? Fertile all week? Just wondering in case I decide to raise a few chicks. And does a hen go broody randomly or does this increase when she lays fertilized eggs??

I have never had much luck hatching eggs if the hen and rooster have been apart for more than 5 days. This was while single mating one rooster to several hens and endeavoring to ascertain what hen laid which egg. In my experience any longer than this means that you have a Romeo Rooster climbing up to Juliet the hen's window at night.

To show you how variable this can be, once a tom and hen turkey breeds just one time, the hen turkey can lay a whole clutch of fertile eggs. But turkeys are not chickens, and chickens are not turkeys.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have an unproven theory, but my birds that go broody, (not all do) seem to do it at about the same time in the year. Late May/early June, mid July and twice I have had one go in Late September/October.

Having a rooster does not increase a chance of a broody hen. I have had hens go broody without any rooster at all. Not to worry, you can find some other crazy chicken lady who has a rooster, and will share eggs. I know, cause I did.

This is a fun hobby,
Mrs K

That is strange who would have thought that hens would start laying up a storm in the early Spring, and just when Easter eggs and baby chicks come into season? That's sarcasm y'all. That is why I always tried to get any hen hatching done before June.

Roosters are also more fertile during the aforementioned times.