Samiam Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Okay, so this is probably a super dumb question....but is a rooster required to be involved at any point for a hen to lay an egg? I mean, I get it's probably not something a rooster would be involved in every night, with every hen, otherwise he'd be quite the busy guy, lol.....but at any point of the hen's life, does she have to mate to become a egg layer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 No, hens can lay eggs without a rooster. But, if you do have a rooster, yes, he stays very busy. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Nope, no roo required. The hens are making eggs, just like women do, from the moment they're born. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 No. Your body releases eggs on schedule, whether or not there is a male around to fertilize them. :D astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Okay, showing my city girl ignorance here maybe, but I'll be brave, LOL. Don't you only need a rooster to get fertilized eggs that will hatch into chicks? Otherwise, without a rooster, the hens just lay unfertilized eggs; the kind you eat? Please don't laugh too hard at me if I'm wrong... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Eggs need to be fertilized by a rooster in order to become a chick. Otherwise you just get an egg - just like in humans. Women ovulate (produce an egg) monthly (in general) but each egg does not become a baby. Hens lay eggs almost daily (depends on the breed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Okay, showing my city girl ignorance here maybe, but I'll be brave, LOL. Don't you only need a rooster to get fertilized eggs that will hatch into chicks? Otherwise, without a rooster, the hens just lay unfertilized eggs; the kind you eat? Please don't laugh too hard at me if I'm wrong... :tongue_smilie: You're right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Okay, showing my city girl ignorance here maybe, but I'll be brave, LOL. Don't you only need a rooster to get fertilized eggs that will hatch into chicks? Otherwise, without a rooster, the hens just lay unfertilized eggs; the kind you eat? Please don't laugh too hard at me if I'm wrong... :tongue_smilie: You can eat fertilized eggs too. We do all the time (since our rooster is quite busy during the day). No difference in appearance or taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 That's correct, you only need a rooster if you would like fertile eggs to hatch. And yes, you can (and probably have) eaten fertile eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Okay, showing my city girl ignorance here maybe, but I'll be brave, LOL. Don't you only need a rooster to get fertilized eggs that will hatch into chicks? Otherwise, without a rooster, the hens just lay unfertilized eggs; the kind you eat? Please don't laugh too hard at me if I'm wrong... :tongue_smilie: This exactly. I had a vegan coworker at a summer camp who always referred to scrambled eggs as "chicken periods." :ack2: That's basically what's happening, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 My husband jokes about eating "rooster bullets". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 This exactly. I had a vegan coworker at a summer camp who always referred to scrambled eggs as "chicken periods." :ack2: That's basically what's happening, though. That is both gross and hilarious. :D You can eat fertilized eggs too. We do all the time (since our rooster is quite busy during the day). No difference in appearance or taste. Waaaaaait a second. 'Splain that one, would you? So the fertilized eggs we eat didn't turn into a chicken *why* exactly? Is it because they weren't kept warm, and that somehow disrupts the formation of the chick? Or something else? I told you I'm a city girl. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenangelcat Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 That is both gross and hilarious. :D Waaaaaait a second. 'Splain that one, would you? So the fertilized eggs we eat didn't turn into a chicken *why* exactly? Is it because they weren't kept warm, and that somehow disrupts the formation of the chick? Or something else? I told you I'm a city girl. :tongue_smilie: They need a certain temp and humidity to develop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 This exactly. I had a vegan coworker at a summer camp who always referred to scrambled eggs as "chicken periods." :ack2: That's basically what's happening, though. They need a certain temp and humidity to develop. And 21 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I know your original question was answered - that's a nope. Now, my funny story. I was buying something from a women who lived further out/countryish from the city-metro area. she has chickens and sells her extra eggs. (she gave me some, they were great. loved the grass seeds in the eggs . . free range ya know.) I grew up in an area where several people I knew kept chickens. (and I live on a street IN the city where one family had sheep with lambs every spring. then they got the ram fixed.) She had a co-worker (from the city) to her home with her children. she gave them some eggs. several weeks later, the co-worker asked her when the eggs would hatch. :001_huh: she responded "I don't have a rooster". ;) co-worker said, "but you have eggs". she had to give a birds and the bees (or the chicken and the rooster) story to her co-worker to explain why buying an incubator wasn't going to get coworker baby chicks with her eggs. co-worker was very disappointed and I hope took her advice to go down to the grange and buy some of chicks they were supposed to be getting in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 My husband jokes about eating "rooster bullets". better than rocky mountain oysters. perish the thought . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quill Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) You can eat fertilized eggs too. We do all the time (since our rooster is quite busy during the day). No difference in appearance or taste. When you say that, I immediately think of the most revolting thing I ever saw on TV. It was the one and only time I saw part of the show "Fear Factor." The contestants (or whatever they're called) had to eat an unhatched chicken fetus. (Is that what you'd call it?) :ack2::ack2::ack2: It revolted me forever on the thought that a given hen's egg *could* be fertilized. Okay and here's my "city girl" question, which I have forever wondered. How are bird's eggs actually fertilized? Does rooster sperm penetrate the egg before it's lain? Is the egg penatrable before it's lain? I've always been baffled by that. :tongue_smilie: Edited February 20, 2012 by Quill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 When you say that, I immediately think of the most revolting thing I ever saw on TV. It was the one and only time I saw part of the show "Fear Factor." The contestants (or whatever they're called) had to eat an unhatched chicken fetus. (Is that what you'd call it?) :ack2::ack2::ack2: It revolted me forever on the thought that a given hen's egg *could* be fertilized. Okay and here's my "city girl" question, which I have forever wondered. How are bird's eggs actually fertilized? Does rooster sperm penetrate the egg before it's lain? Is the egg penatrable before it's lain? I've always been baffled by that. :tongue_smilie: When a rooster mates with a hen, the hen is then fertile for several days, and her body will lay fertilized eggs for that duration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quill Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 When a rooster mates with a hen, the hen is then fertile for several days, and her body will lay fertilized eggs for that duration. Oooooohhhh! Okay. :001_smile: Eww, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Oooooohhhh! Okay. :001_smile: Eww, though. Hee-hee! I'm a city kid, too, but enjoying my 2nd childhood in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I don't know if it's been mentioned, but many folks who keep kosher can't eat fertilized eggs. Tiny blood spots in yolks can *sometimes* be a sign of fertilization, but I have seen many eggs without blood spots from hens who have been very frienly with roos, and I have seem tiny dots of blood in eggs from hens who have never met a roo. I think there might be some question out there about such things. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Funny, I just watched a special on backyard hens. Did you know that some cities will let you have chickens in the backyard. You can't have a rooster though. So, no, they don't need a rooster. I also learned that hen laying slows down in the fall and winter months. Chickens are very social. They need a good amount of space inside and out, but you don't have to have a nest box for each one. They will share a nest. OK, I have a head cold and SCTV (PBS) was the bomb last night with Downton Abbey on too! ETA: Don't wash your eggs when you bring them inside to refrigerate. Wait until you will use. I learned that there is a special coating on them. It keeps them fresher, and keeps them from getting the refrig-odors too. Yes, I am done. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 ETA: Don't wash your eggs when you bring them inside to refrigerate. Wait until you will use. I learned that there is a special coating on them. It keeps them fresher, and keeps them from getting the refrig-odors too. Yes, I am done. :P My SIL was puzzled when she moved to the UK because the eggs weren't kept in the fridge at the shop. In the UK they are not washed at the packing factory because water on the egg shell acts as a conduit allowing bacteria to penetrate the egg. I never refrigerate eggs and it's never been an issue. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 My SIL was puzzled when she moved to the UK because the eggs weren't kept in the fridge at the shop. In the UK they are not washed at the packing factory because water on the egg shell acts as a conduit allowing bacteria to penetrate the egg. I never refrigerate eggs and it's never been an issue. Laura We also never refrigerate. We gather the eggs from our hens' nesting boxes, write the date in pencil on the shell, and place in a metal basket on the kitchen counter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 How old does a hen start producing eggs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 How old does a hen start producing eggs? I've been told the saying goes, "April chicks, September eggs", though we got August eggs from some April chicks :D. So, 4-5 months old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 That is both gross and hilarious. :D Waaaaaait a second. 'Splain that one, would you? So the fertilized eggs we eat didn't turn into a chicken *why* exactly? Is it because they weren't kept warm, and that somehow disrupts the formation of the chick? Or something else? I told you I'm a city girl. :tongue_smilie: They don't develop into chickens cause they got taken out of the nest and you ate them before there was the chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Do you need to have sex with a man to ovulate? Neither does the hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Fascinating thread! (Although the Fear Factor info was definitely TMI) :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 When a rooster mates with a hen, the hen is then fertile for several days, and her body will lay fertilized eggs for that duration. Wow, I have chickens, and I didn't know that. I just assumed the one egg that was furthest along but without a shell was fertilized. I also learned that hen laying slows down in the fall and winter months. Chickens are very social. They need a good amount of space inside and out, but you don't have to have a nest box for each one. They will share a nest. Dh built a very nice home for our chickens, complete with four nesting boxes, but they all line up and take turns using just one of them. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenangelcat Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 How old does a hen start producing eggs? Depends on the breed. Some take forever. My Easter Eggers took a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimmy Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 We keep backyard hens without a roo and have plenty of eggs. That said, I have an acquaintance who runs a big chicken farm and he says that they keep a few roosters in each of their runs because it increases their egg production... He also claims that after a period of time the hens get bored with their rooster and egg production drops. So they rotate the roosters from barn to barn every few months to keep the hens interested. Not sure if all that would check out biologically, but he seems very convinced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 When you say that, I immediately think of the most revolting thing I ever saw on TV. It was the one and only time I saw part of the show "Fear Factor." The contestants (or whatever they're called) had to eat an unhatched chicken fetus. (Is that what you'd call it?) :ack2::ack2::ack2: It revolted me forever on the thought that a given hen's egg *could* be fertilized. It's called balut and is a delicacy in the Philippines. (Don't Google images!--although now many will just because I said that :lol: ) I think I'd literally have to be starving in order to eat that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) My SIL was puzzled when she moved to the UK because the eggs weren't kept in the fridge at the shop. In the UK they are not washed at the packing factory because water on the egg shell acts as a conduit allowing bacteria to penetrate the egg. I never refrigerate eggs and it's never been an issue. Laura That's absolutely true. When I collect eggs, I gently wipe them with a soft cloth. There is a protective coating on them that water washes away. Still, few people want to buy eggs that have any dirt or a little poop on them. Hens are not all that fussy where they lay. I have some who prefer a particular nest box, and I have some who just drop them in my garden beds and move on. They are not that particular, in my experience. lol I've seen hens la de da walking , walking, having a grand old time pecking all around. I've seen them stop for a bit, lay an egg, and keep on moving. lol Unless a you've got a broody girl who wants to sit & sit, hens don't care about those eggs. A broody hen is a lovely thing, and they will hatch any eggs you might add to their clutch. :) Edited February 21, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 How old does a hen start producing eggs? Depends. My RIR started at 5 months. My Ameracaunas started at 9 months. :glare: I was out there every day threatening them with chicken recipes if they didn't lay an egg! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I don't know if it's been mentioned, but many folks who keep kosher can't eat fertilized eggs. Tiny blood spots in yolks can *sometimes* be a sign of fertilization, but I have seen many eggs without blood spots from hens who have been very frienly with roos, and I have seem tiny dots of blood in eggs from hens who have never met a roo. I think there might be some question out there about such things. :) The tiny red spot in the yolk is from a burst blood vessel inside the hen and has nothing to do with whether or not the egg was fertilized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I have an acquaintance who runs a big chicken farm and he says that they keep a few roosters in each of their runs because it increases their egg production... He also claims that after a period of time the hens get bored with their rooster and egg production drops. So they rotate the roosters from barn to barn every few months to keep the hens interested. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 So the fertilized eggs we eat didn't turn into a chicken *why* exactly? Is it because they weren't kept warm, and that somehow disrupts the formation of the chick? Or something else? Yep. That's it. If I remember correctly the egg has to be at 85 degrees Farenheit for 3 days in order to begin developing. Most people collect their eggs every day and keep them somewhere cooler... so no babies in there. When I was a kid I saw some video about how chicks grow inside the shells and I got it in my mind (incorrectly) that the yolk *was* the pre-developed chick. I was young and both are yellow, you see. I wouldn't eat yolks for years! :lol: Now I know that the yolk is actually the food sac for the developing chick, which *would* begin as a series of vessels and cells (and an eye) alongside the yolk. I also learned that the white stringy/mucousy stuff connecting to the yolk is *not* a developing chick either. (I had imagined that it was.) Isn't it funny what we come up with in our heads when we don't understand something!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I wish I could have hens! I'm so jealous. LOL The city that I live in has an ordinance that you have to have an acre a chicken. Now, I don't know much about chickens, but surely each one does not need its own acre. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I wish I could have hens! I'm so jealous. LOL The city that I live in has an ordinance that you have to have an acre a chicken. Now, I don't know much about chickens, but surely each one does not need its own acre. :001_huh: I lived in a town with a requirement like that. Friends on the town commission told me that they just wanted to make sure you had a lot of land so you didn't bother your neighbors with the animals' smell/noise. It is rather random, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 More chicken trivia.... Do they have ears? yup. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 No, only if you want chicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 This thread makes me so glad I don't eat eggs - LOL. I can handle them as an ingredient...but not a meal. (shudder) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 better than rocky mountain oysters. perish the thought . . . . Nothing is better than mountain oysters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I wish I could have hens! I'm so jealous. LOL The city that I live in has an ordinance that you have to have an acre a chicken. Now, I don't know much about chickens, but surely each one does not need its own acre. :001_huh: That's crazy. I could see an acre to have chickens at all, if you live in a residential area, but an acre per chicken is pretty excessive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 That's crazy. I could see an acre to have chickens at all, if you live in a residential area, but an acre per chicken is pretty excessive! They probably just don't want chickens in the city limits. This ensures that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueinNC Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) We also never refrigerate. We gather the eggs from our hens' nesting boxes, write the date in pencil on the shell, and place in a metal basket on the kitchen counter. How long will the eggs last before they have to be eaten or discarded? We have quail (hatched from eggs) so I'm assuming I could do the same? ETA: How many days can an egg lay in the nesting boxes/hen houses before you won't use them? If you go three or four days before gathering the eggs, are they still good to use? Or is it a necessity to gather daily? Edited February 21, 2012 by Caledonia Academy added another question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 How long will the eggs last before they have to be eaten or discarded? We have quail (hatched from eggs) so I'm assuming I could do the same? ETA: How many days can an egg lay in the nesting boxes/hen houses before you won't use them? If you go three or four days before gathering the eggs, are they still good to use? Or is it a necessity to gather daily? The hens would eat them before three or four days were up, but if there were any left, they'd still be fine to eat. We don't usually have eggs that are more than 2 weeks old around, but I know they're good even after that. When in doubt, place the egg in water. If it floats, toss it. If it sinks, eat it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 They probably just don't want chickens in the city limits. This ensures that. Yes, that is the reason. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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