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Birds--General/Chickens
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Question
I don't have chickens, but we're going to get some when we can because we are going to have a farm. My mom said we are going to let them hatch eggs sometimes. Today I met someone who said her friend has a kind of hens that hatches their eggs without having a rooster. Are there really chickens like that? if there are, what are they called?
Hello Alanis,
ALL birds will lay eggs without a male if they are in their laying cycle. A chicken's laying cycle is ON all the time, so they never need a rooster UNLESS they want to have babies. The eggs a chicken lays without a rooster is unfertilised and will never turn into a chick.
Thanks for your question.
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Answers by Expert:
Abi
Expertise
I CAN'T ANSWER QUESTIONS ON ANIMALS OTHER THAN CHICKENS/DUCKS/GEESE- I WILL TRY BUT THEY ARE NOT MY SPECIALIST SUBJECT- PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT BUDGIES, FINCHES, PARROTS, COCKATIELS OR OTHER 'EXOTIC' BIRDS. I can answer questions on pretty much all CHICKEN breeds, including fancy and bantam birds. I can give advice on how to get the best egg production, brightest yolk colours and darkest egg shell colours, breeding (using broody hens, not incubators), bird problems/illnesses. I can give advice on all aspects of basic chicken care but I breed chickens for my own pleasure only, I do not often show or sell my birds.
Experience
I own and breed a wide range of chickens, but I speciallise in cochins and crevecour bantams; crevecours have a large crest (an afro!) so I can answer questions on problems concerning them; cochins have feathered legs, which leads to no end of problems which I have experienced! I also own a large flock of domestic, rescued 'battery' hens, and a single maran hen, Hilda, who is the matriarch of her flock, so I can give advice on how to get the best colour of maran eggs!
Education/Credentials
n/a
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