When can we expect Mr. and Mrs. to start... making babies?

[sebloc]

Hello
We have one unwanted rooster that we got at the age of 2 weeks. We were wondering, when will they start having babies? We want to get rid of it as far from that date as possible. We've already noticed him going around and pecking the others in the butt

They're all around 18 weeks old. No 'edible' eggs yet. Thanks

 

[BantyChooks]

It doesn't matter if you eat fertile eggs.... There's no difference to the taste, and unless you let a hen sit on them for several weeks, you won't be getting chicks.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

x2 BantyChooks. By 18 weeks your chickens have most likely already mated, and the hens will probably start laying within the next month or so.

 

[sebloc]

Thanks.

 

[aart]

Hello
We have one unwanted rooster that we got at the age of 2 weeks. We were wondering, when will they start having babies? We want to get rid of it as far from that date as possible. We've already noticed him going around and pecking the others in the butt

They're all around 18 weeks old. No 'edible' eggs yet. Thanks

What do you mean by 'edible'?

 

[sebloc]

Meant no eggs from our chickens at all yet. Sorry to confuse you. It's been a long day for me.

 

[junebuggena]

It takes about a month or so for a pullet to start laying eggs that are consistent. At that point, you can start setting eggs for incubation.

 

[donrae]

If you don't want the rooster, get rid of him any time.

Pullets kept with a rooster will pretty much be fertile from day one.

You don't always see them mating. It can be pretty quick.

One mating can keep the female fertile a good two weeks.

It's virtually impossible to tell a fertile egg from a non-fertile egg without a very trained eye. No difference in taste, texture, etc.

Having a rooster will give you fertile eggs. It won't give you baby chicks unless you incubate the eggs. Embryonic development doesn't start until about 3 days of incubatin at 100 degrees F.

Having your own hens, you'll run into things like blood spots in the eggs, meat spots, things like that. These are not at all related to being fertile or not. These things happen all the time in commercial egg farms, they just candle the eggs and remove them from carton sales so the general public has no idea how common it can be.

 

[sebloc]

Thanks. Probably gonna get rid of him.

 

[donrae]

That would be my advice. If you didn't want a rooster in the first place, and don't intend to breed or hatch chicks, why put up with the fuss? Plus, he's a big freeloader and you could use that coop space and feed money for another nice, productive hen