# Separating Chickens for Breeding



## saritamae (Jun 2, 2012)

We just purchased a new homestead, yay! There is an existing chicken coop on the property with an enclosed run. It isn't big enough for my flock, but it is plenty big enough for me to pull a few hens and one rooster to ensure purebred chicks instead of the mixed chicks I have now. My question is this - how long do I need to have them penned up with their new rooster to ensure that he is the only one that has fertilized the eggs?


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

One week will give you something like 90% pure chicks depending on breed and number of hens. 2 weeks should be fine. Some people wait 3. What breed are you working with? Single come roosters are more potent than rose and pea comb breeds.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Chickens can lay fertile eggs for (I think) three weeks after the deed. You may need to separate them long enough to make sure the right rooster is the father.

You&#8217;ll also want to keep the hens separated long enough to collect the number of eggs you want, since they probably are sharing nests.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

Two main variables come into play and a couple secondary ones. First thing is if a hen is bred then removed totally from all male company. She has the "potential" of laying fertile eggs for up too 3 weeks in the extreme cases with fertility dropping off drastically after a week. The seccond is if a hen is exposed to one rooster (s) then isolated with a different one for breeding. New sperm takes precedence over old contributions. Natures way of "flushing out" the old for the new. But the old will work its self into the mix in varying degrees depending on both the virilance of the previous and the new. After the first week the new will have the strongest influence. 
Other influences are breed an comb type of the roosters involved and to some extent the hens age and preferences.


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## saritamae (Jun 2, 2012)

Thanks for the answers! 

Ksal, I wanted to work with Silver Laced Wyandottes. Nothing really fancy, but I've always liked them and the ones I have now have great markings. This will be my first "pure" breeding attempt and I want to start right.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

Yep, sperm stays viable three weeks in the hen. You take a hen out of a flock with roosters covering lot's of hens and put her in with a rooster that is potent and only covering a few, and you will be hard pressed to get a chick out of the previous rooster after four days. It could happen, but not very likely. Depends on whether you want to sell chicks as pure, or whether you want to raise some predominantly pure replacement hens. If the former, then wait 3 weeks. If the latter, start filling the 'bator after four or five days, maybe a week. It's generally not too hard to pick out the crosses, if you are going to grow them out. I always liked mixing the flock with breeds that I could keep pure without separating. For example, a couple pure marans roosters running with some pure marans hens, some cochins and some leghorns. I could just gather dark eggs and have pure marans. I could switch out roosters and do something different. That way I only needed rooster pens and not pens for a few layers plus a rooster.


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## saritamae (Jun 2, 2012)

I really like that idea. The existing coop on the property is too small for my mixed flock now so I thought I would take the opportunity to work on my slw. After reading your post, I'm thinking in another direction. My current rooster is a Langshan, and it's easy to spot his offspring with their feathered little legs. I'm thinking that I could add my slw rooster and keep the babies. I'm just looking to replace my flock right now as the older hens stop laying and are phased out. 

I don't want to get rid of my current rooster because he is an excellent protector and good with the kids. Since the two roosters are so different, do you think that my plan would work as well as your practice?


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

Rose comb roosters are not as "potent" for some reason compared to Single comb roosters. That being said if you were to hatch eggs from a flock of hens with these two roosters in question all the Langshan cross chicks will have feathered legs. And all the wyandotte cross chicks will have rose combs.


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## Blackwolfe (Sep 9, 2009)

First thing you should do is Not use the old pen, (disease). Tear it down and build a new one in a different spot a good distance away. Burn the old wood on the old spot to help eradicate any old fungus and disease spores, then use the spot for a compost pile.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

I would strongly challenge the notion that rose comb roosters are less potent. That is one specific gene among thousands. I had a Wyandotte once that sired more offspring than a couple other roosters he was running with, a Buff and a Barred Rock. On a bunch of single comb hens, probably three to one rose combed chicks.

As for burning down the chicken house, what specific pathogens would burning down the chicken house protect from? Wouldn't those same pathogens be in the soil on the whole place? I would venture to guess that pathogens would be a little more viable in soil than on dry wood, especially if you gave it a good dusting of lime. You could use some propane torches and scorch the surfaces if you were really worried about it.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

All I've ever waited is a week. Did come up with one cross chick this time, I'm not positive I waited a full week on that pen.


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## saritamae (Jun 2, 2012)

The coop never actually had chickens in it. We purchased the place from a bank sale. The previous owners were building the house a bit at a time (they never moved in or put animals on the land) when they ran into trouble. The trouble was that the sheriffs department found the "crops" they had planted on the back of the property. So we don't have to worry about chicken diseases, but we do need to look out for weird looking "tomato plants". Lol


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

I would never burn down a coop, clean it, paint it, clean the ground yes. what ever but I think thats a huge waste of a building.


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## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

If you have any of those volunteer tomato plants they might boost feed consumption, worth a shot.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

If they ever let the funny looking tomato plants go to seed they will show up for a long time, mice seem to plant them every where, also.


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