Separating Breeds... How long before eggs will be 'purebred'??

[Chic-n-farmer]

I'm just now ready to divide my flock. I've been letting them run together all winter. How long before the hens will start producing eggs fertilized by the rooster they are kept with?

I hope this question makes sense. I had trouble deciding where it belonged. I hope it's okay here.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Laskaland]

I am thinking 6 days you would be safe. I read somewhere that even if the hen was without the roo for 3 days the eggs would still be fertile... I could be way wrong, but I am thinking that is about right...

good luck
Christina

 

[Mahonri]

If you want purebreds, I wouldn't incubate the eggs until the purebred rooster has been with the same breed hen for 3 weeks.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Thanks Christina,
I've done a little googling since I posted and came across this:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Poultry-Farming-3481/Chicken-fertility.htm

Edited because I wouldn't want MY kids reading that quote. WHAT was I thinking?

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Aaaaaacccckkkk!!!!

Now I read this:

A hen will have maximum fertility for only about 3 to 4 days after one mating. For this reason, the male-to-female ratio in a flock must be enough to ensure mating of every hen every 3 days or so.

Please, opinions everyone!

I'll just take all answers and compute the average!

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Quote:
Thanks. I was leaning toward that from what I've read on here in the past, but I didn't pay too much attention. Now that I need to know.....

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:
I think I was waaaaaaaaaay off!!! Sorry about that. I thought it was much shorter. better to be safe than sorry!! 3 weeks like Mahonri suggests should be long enough, give the roo a chance to get the girls wamred up

Maybe I got three days and three weeks messed up?? Sorry!
Good luck
Christina

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Quote:
I think I was waaaaaaaaaay off!!! Sorry about that. I thought it was much shorter. better to be safe than sorry!! 3 weeks like Mahonri suggests should be long enough, give the roo a chance to get the girls wamred up

Maybe I got three days and three weeks messed up?? Sorry!
Good luck
Christina

Hey I appreciate the help, I wasn't suggesting you were wrong, just running that quote by you. This wouldn't even be a problem, but all of the sudden I have friends needing hatching eggs 'Yesterday'!
Thanks!

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:
I think I was waaaaaaaaaay off!!! Sorry about that. I thought it was much shorter. better to be safe than sorry!! 3 weeks like Mahonri suggests should be long enough, give the roo a chance to get the girls wamred up

Maybe I got three days and three weeks messed up?? Sorry!
Good luck
Christina

Hey I appreciate the help, I wasn't suggesting you were wrong, just running that quote by you. This wouldn't even be a problem, but all of the sudden I have friends needing hatching eggs 'Yesterday'!
Thanks!

What an awful problem to have

Good on you!!!! Hugs and may you have lots of lots of lots of healthy fertile eggs and babies
Hugs
Christina

 

[newchickmom]

Try 4 weeks to be safe! All my hens are BOs and black australorp. I let a broody hatch some eggs that were layed 4 weeks after we culled all the SLW roos. Guess what!

SLW/BO mix

SLW/BA mix

This is "mama"