Will my Silkie Roo try to breed with my full size hens?

[SiggAndChicks]

Once he has spurs you will notice that his favorite hens will be "beat up" a little one the back of the neck (from him holding on) and at the base of the tail (from spurs).

If you spend some time out there you will notice who he likes most.

Also one mating will last several days, which means several eggs!

Oh ok. Thanks. I actually noticed him hanging on to my black Australorp the other day. I wondered if he was trying to do the deed
Do I have to be concerned about the hens also being young? They are about 23 weeks. And not all of them are laying yet.
Also, do people just generally let the hen hatch the chicks? Do I need to pull them at any point to protect them from the other hens? I'm a big fan of letting nature take it's course and allowing mama to raise her chicks, but I also want to keep them safe. We are new to chickens so I'm just not sure how this works. Do most people pull the eggs and incubate them or just let the mama do the work?
Also, I know some chickens are known to go broody, but since I have a rooster...if I have a hen go broody, do I just assume that she has probably been bred and let her do her thing? How long do the eggs take to hatch? How long do I leave them in there before I decide they're not fertilized and pull them?

I'm sorry to bombard you with so many questions. I appreciate everyone's help very much. I did a lot of research to prepare myself for chickens and I thought I knew a lot, but this breeding thing is new territory for me....

 

[donrae]

Oh ok. Thanks. I actually noticed him hanging on to my black Australorp the other day. I wondered if he was trying to do the deed
Do I have to be concerned about the hens also being young? They are about 23 weeks. And not all of them are laying yet.
Also, do people just generally let the hen hatch the chicks? Do I need to pull them at any point to protect them from the other hens? I'm a big fan of letting nature take it's course and allowing mama to raise her chicks, but I also want to keep them safe. We are new to chickens so I'm just not sure how this works. Do most people pull the eggs and incubate them or just let the mama do the work?
Also, I know some chickens are known to go broody, but since I have a rooster...if I have a hen go broody, do I just assume that she has probably been bred and let her do her thing? How long do the eggs take to hatch? How long do I leave them in there before I decide they're not fertilized and pull them?

I'm sorry to bombard you with so many questions. I appreciate everyone's help very much. I did a lot of research to prepare myself for chickens and I thought I knew a lot, but this breeding thing is new territory for me....

With your number of hens, once the rooster is mature I'd just take it as a given all your eggs are fertile. Roosters mate several times a day, and one mating can render a hen fertile for up to 2 weeks. so yeah, pretty much all your eggs should be fertile if he's healthy.

Hatching chicks is great, but one big thing to keep in mind is you're going to get half roosters. You need a plan for those guys even before they're born. Have someone to sell them to, plan to butcher, have the ability to keep them yourself, whatever, you just need a plan.

I let my broody hens hatch chicks, and I leave them in the flock and let her raise them there. I don't separate. Some folks do, it's just preference. I don't want to deal with introducing littles to the flock later, this way is just way easier for me.

Check out some of the threads or learning center articles on general broodiness and chick raising. Depending on your breeds, your birds may never go broody--lots of hatchery birds don't. Lots of good info around here, and you've got time as it sounds like you won't really have the potential for a broody until spring.

Good luck!

 

[SiggAndChicks]

With your number of hens, once the rooster is mature I'd just take it as a given all your eggs are fertile. Roosters mate several times a day, and one mating can render a hen fertile for up to 2 weeks. so yeah, pretty much all your eggs should be fertile if he's healthy.

Hatching chicks is great, but one big thing to keep in mind is you're going to get half roosters. You need a plan for those guys even before they're born. Have someone to sell them to, plan to butcher, have the ability to keep them yourself, whatever, you just need a plan.

I let my broody hens hatch chicks, and I leave them in the flock and let her raise them there. I don't separate. Some folks do, it's just preference. I don't want to deal with introducing littles to the flock later, this way is just way easier for me.

Check out some of the threads or learning center articles on general broodiness and chick raising. Depending on your breeds, your birds may never go broody--lots of hatchery birds don't. Lots of good info around here, and you've got time as it sounds like you won't really have the potential for a broody until spring.

Good luck!

Wow!! What a quick response! I love this forum. Everyone has been so helpful and has not made me feel like a total dummie. Thanks so much for that info. That makes a lot of sense to me. I'd rather leave them in there and not have to introduce later.
So you're saying that this probably won't happen until spring anyway?
Is there an easy way to sex them when they are hatched? I imagine there is since I was able to buy 1 day old chicks that were all pullets But how do I do that so I can re-home them? Or do I have to wait until they are older? I know my local grain store will take them, but I wouldn't want to give them my little girlies
Thanks!

 

[Mickey Lou 04]

There are only certain breeds that are sexed at hatch so your chicks wouldn't be. Hatcheries use vent sexing and only a very trained eye would be able to tell.

But if you find a family in need when your boys are older then you can have them butchered by someone and give it to them. This is what I'd do personally.

Hope this helps,

 

[SiggAndChicks]

There are only certain breeds that are sexed at hatch so your chicks wouldn't be. Hatcheries use vent sexing and only a very trained eye would be able to tell.

But if you find a family in need when your boys are older then you can have them butchered by someone and give it to them. This is what I'd do personally.

Hope this helps,

Thanks so much! I would definitely donate as I plan to do this with extra eggs as well. But I am one of those crazies that gets too attached to my chickens to think about slaughtering them so I may just not let any of the girls hatch the eggs. Besides there are a few other breeds I'd like to get in the spring and I don't want to over crowd them. So I might just stick with getting the chicks I want and knowing they are females.

Thanks for the advice.