# How old is too old for a rooster



## creeksidelc (Aug 4, 2014)

How old can a rooster be and still get the job done? Looking to hatch some chicks this spring but don't know if the rooster is still any good. He is a few years old and in with 25 hens.


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

In one group of my chickens, a 4 year old
Rooster is getting the job done. Last year my 
Hatching eggs from the serviced hens there gave
95% hatch rates. Very few candles eggs were clear.
I'm still using this rooster for this year hatches of
healthy and lively chicks of purebred stock.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

He may not service all 25 hens though.
You could separate the rooster out with a group of hens that you favor perhaps.


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## Wild_Bill (Aug 4, 2014)

25 is pushing it with any age rooster. If you want fertile eggs separate some of your hens. He may be quite the player, and service all of them but more likely will pick 8-15 that he wants. 12 or so is the avg. number that a roo can or will service. Age can go to 7 ish. But I would replace at 3-4 max but thats my number.


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## Wild_Bill (Aug 4, 2014)

Funny chickenista we had a similar post at the same time


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

Age is not a problem. If they can still move they can still breed. Plenty of 8 to 12 year old roosters siring chicks out there. If spurs get too long it can hinder them. 25 hens is pushing any rooster. Just not enough hours in the day. You can make a rooster go further by putting him in smaller groups and rotating him. You can still get decent fertility when hens are serviced only every few days. About every four days seems to be ideal, but every seven will still produce some fertile eggs.


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## creeksidelc (Aug 4, 2014)

The chickens all free range then come into the coop at night. I don't have any seperate pens and I do not really want to go to the trouble or expense of doing so. Can I just add another 1 or 2 roosters to the flock that way there is additional coverage or is that going to end in dead roosters and fighting?


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

creeksidelc said:


> The chickens all free range then come into the coop at night. I don't have any seperate pens and I do not really want to go to the trouble or expense of doing so. Can I just add another 1 or 2 roosters to the flock that way there is additional coverage or is that going to end in dead roosters and fighting?


Adding any new birds(especially roosters) will _start_ fights...might not end in death, but it will take some time for them all to get settled, depending on what kind of space you have.


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## sawman65 (Sep 8, 2011)

raiseing one with the flock will be better when they start as a chick they learn their place early. and they learn to "hit and run" if you put a grown rooster in he will want to take the flock at some point depending on how "game" your rooster is and some are known to fight till death. my big dark cornish has killed with one lick to another's head and i keep the spurs sawed to blunt's. my oldest rooster is 10 years old and he works a flock of 6 he does just fine.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

How many chicks do you need? I'd set as many eggs as the incubator can hold and candle at 5-7 days, pull the clears and refill the bator, pull clears and dead in shell after another week and you should get enough chicks. Lots easier than dealing with extra pens and roosters.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

i would do what Cyngbaeld said, i once knew an old farmer that had one old Australorp rooster in his flock of 100 laying hens, we got eggs and milk from him every week, once i decided to put a dozen eggs in the incubator, just to see what happend, out of a dozen eggs from 100 hens and 1 rooster TWO were fertile and hatched into nice big pullets, that year i traded him his old rooster (7? years old at least) for 4 young roosters we were growing up from a Fryer special that year for the freezer, i think he ended up with a white rock, a RIR, a Lakenvelder, and something else, he was very pleased. 

as a side note Single comb breeds cover better with higher fertility than pea and rose comb breeds, and light mediteranian breeds do better than large breeds, just as a side note,


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