When a rooster breeds

[Hoosiercluck]

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??

 

[lazy gardener]

Generally, after a successful breeding, the first fertile egg will show up about 48 hours later. Her eggs can be expected to remain fertile from that single breeding for 2 weeks. However, if you are a serious breeder, and want to be very sure that a particular hen has been bred by a particular roo, and there are not any stray sperm floating around in there from the previous roo, you will not collect hatching eggs until she has been isolated from undesirable breedings for a month.

 

[sourland]

After a rooster successfully breeds a hen, her eggs will retain high fertility for up to 2 weeks, moderate fertility for up to 3 weeks, and occasional fertility for up to 4 weeks. Hens go broody randomly with or without the presence of a rooster, and some breeds very rarely go broody.

 

[Mrs. K]

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

 

[Hoosiercluck]

Yes, early on I had two go broody without rooster. I accidentally have a rooster now that was suppose to be a pullet order from my local Tractor Supply, AND they were to be ISA brown but I think they are RIR. Nice chickens though, but I wanted the high egg quantity of the ISA.
Now trying to decide if I want to try and do some chicks next spring. Right now Benny is in the same pen, but isolated and I know no chicks will show in the eggs if I collect daily and no broody hen.
Thanks all!

 

[Hoosiercluck]

PS is there any way to tell if it is a successful breeding vs. just a rooster hen hop? Candling?

 

[lazy gardener]

Do a thread search for "how to tell if an egg is fertile". You should be able to turn up some nice pics. You will be looking for the blastodisc on the yolk. Check out this site.

http://www.typesofchicken.com/fertile-infertile-eggs-differences-similarities/

 

[Hoosiercluck]

Thank you!

 

[Mrs. K]

If you keep a pad on your counter, and as you cook, keep track of the number of fertilized eggs, you will know what percentage are fertile. There is no way to look without opening the shell. But if you have a high percentage when you cook, and can assume that will be what your are trying to hatch.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here is another link for fertile egg pictures.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures.16008/

I'll repeat what they said but maybe in a way that makes some of it easier to remember.

It takes about 25 hours, give or take an hour or two, for an egg to make its journey through the hen's internal egg making factory. That egg can only be fertilized in the first few minutes of that journey. That means if a successful mating takes place on a Monday, Monday's egg will not be fertile. Tuesday's egg might be but don't count on it. Wednesday's egg should be.

Not every mating is successful. The rooster may miss his target or he can elect to not eject sperm. The hen also has some control over whether or not she accepts that sperm or rejects it. There are reasons for that and most matings do result in fertility, but don’t assume because you see the act. Check for the bull’s eye.

At the end of the mating ritual the rooster hops off, his part is done. The hen then stands up, fluffs up her feathers, and shakes. This fluffy shake moves the sperm to a special container near where that egg starts its journey. As others said, the sperm normally remains quite viable for two weeks but after that viability can drop off. Don’t count on it past two weeks, but don’t be surprised if it lasts more than three.

As others said, a hen going broody is totally random. It has nothing to do with fertile eggs or if a rooster is present. Some hens will never go broody, some go broody a lot. Most of mine go broody mid-Spring to late-Summer but I have two that are still alternating going broody.