Expert: Abi - 9/11/2007

Question
How do i get my rooster to mate with my hen. i have 5 hens and one rooster. but i dont know how to get them to mate. and how do i know if they have mated will the eggs look different. because durring the day i am at work and im not around to see what is going on. is there anyway i can better there coup to make them want to mate???? please email me back if you have any information that might be of help tp me. Thank you.

Answer
They will only mate when they are ready. If the rooster does not take a liking to a particular hen then he will not mate with her. You can't really do anything to them to make them want to mate more; if the rooster is over 18 weeks then he should be harassing the hens that are in lay all the time anyway- if he isn't you're very lucky to have a rooster who is a gentleman!

The eggs will not look any different from the outside but when you crack them you might get 'blood spotting' which is a single blob or more than one blob of blood in the egg. This means the eggs are fertile and a chick has started to develop, but you can still eat them.

When you see your rooster harassing your hens, leave them a week, then start saving your roosters favourite hen's eggs in an eggbox in the fridge. Then when you have your incubator ready or a broody hen you can incubate them. :)

Thanks for your question :)