When will I get fertile eggs?

[Autmizak]

hi. So I have 2 hens that are mature enough and laying eggs, my other 12 are too young and will not lay until the fall. I have 1 mature rooster that I acquired yesterday because it just showed up. My question is if I put my rooster in yesterday with my 2 hens, when will I get fertile eggs? Cause right now they are laying every other day but they're eggs are obviously not fertile.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Is he mounting them? Sometimes it takes a while, especially with him being new to the flock.

 

[Autmizak]

Is he mounting them? Sometimes it takes a while, especially with him being new to the flock.

I have not noticed. He's obviously the dominant one. He's my 4th rooster. My Bantam roo is super tiny and wouldn't dare mess with this new one, my leg horn is still pretty small and hasn't messed with him either and my isa brown is almost as big as the new one and they squared up and my isa brown ran away and hasn't gone near him since.

 

[chickens really]

Sounds like you have too many Roosters....In a month you should get fertilized eggs....Are you sure none of the others had been breeding?

 

[Autmizak]

Sounds like you have too many Roosters....In a month you should get fertilized eggs....Are you sure none of the others had been breeding?

Well I just kind of ended up with them all. 2 came from my aunt, 1 from my mom, and then 1 showed up. But thank you!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

It'll be less than a month. I have eggs hatching this weekend laid by my EE and fertilized by my 4 month old Spitz. I had fertile eggs within a week of him starting to mount her, and I know it was him because he was my only mature LF rooster (my little game bantam tries but falls off every time...he's 9 months old and I've never had fertile eggs from her with just him around).

 

[Ridgerunner]

It takes an egg about 25 hours to make its journey through the hen's internal egg making factory. The egg can only be fertilized during the first few minutes of that journey. What this means is if the mating takes place in a Thursday, Thursday's egg will not be fertile. Friday's egg might or might not be, depending on timing, but don't count on it. Saturday's egg will be fertile.

Of course this is after a mating. A rooster does not mate with each and every hen in his flock on a daily basis, though in your case with just two hens it should be close. The way a new rooster asserts his dominance over the flock is to mate with the hens. I'd start checking the eggs tomorrow to see if they are fertile.

 

[chickens really]

I guess I should of explained....If the Rooster is dominant and starts breeding?...The eggs will be fertile sooner...If he is shy and tries to win the ladies over it could take weeks before he tries to breed...My Rooster waited a month before he tried...Might depend on the breeds too?...My Roo is a Brahma, very much a gentleman....

 

[Autmizak]

Well I just kind of ended up with them all. 2 came from my aunt, 1 from my mom, and then 1 showed up. But thank you!

Oh an also, they're not old enough. The other 3 are only 3 months old.

 

[Autmizak]

It takes an egg about 25 hours to make its journey through the hen's internal egg making factory. The egg can only be fertilized during the first few minutes of that journey. What this means is if the mating takes place in a Thursday, Thursday's egg will not be fertile. Friday's egg might or might not be, depending on timing, but don't count on it. Saturday's egg will be fertile.

Of course this is after a mating. A rooster does not mate with each and every hen in his flock on a daily basis, though in your case with just two hens it should be close. The way a new rooster asserts his dominance over the flock is to mate with the hens. I'd start checking the eggs tomorrow to see if they are fertile.

My hen just laid this egg this morning. I cracked it open and this is what it looks like. I'm thinking It's not fertile but I'm not sure! Any ideas? Fertile or infertile?