Yes they rotate. Some need only 10 minutes but they often take half an our or even longer to lay an egg. Staying on a nest for more than 3 hours indicates broodiness.heeeeeey!!!
I just figured they all had their own bed to lay eggs in! Will they just use 2 like a drop station and rotate out??
What i need some assisstance in more than anything... we want to let our boy go and be frisky for a lil bit to see some crosses and some pure bred from him and an 'identical' sister... but we also want fresh eggs on the regular and I feel like pullin him from the flock might be stressfull as well???
How do most manage the breeding rotation, and more importantly, the long term care of the flock as a whole?
Chickens tend to lay in the same favourite nest-box. A second nest is needed if it’s occupied too long. Mine are sometimes waiting for their turn for the favourite nest. Imagine people going to a toilet in a restaurant where they have 1 clean and one dirty toilet.
You should leave the cockerel/rooster with the pullets/hens. He fertilises most of the eggs with 8 hens. But you can store and eat the fertilised eggs just as well as the non fertilised eggs.
Read a few articles and threads about natural broodies and hatching if you ever want a broody to hatch eggs. It’s often problematic in a confined situation with little space and hiding places. Next spring is probably too soon. But in the Spring 2025 it might be a perfect time for a nest . Some hens/breeds are often broody and others don't get broody.
First of all you need patience, much space and an extra nestbox at another quiet spot, where you lay fake eggs to encourage broodiness.