Some breeders who have just started raising birds cannot say with certainty whether hens are capable of laying eggs without the participation of a rooster. Therefore, they always try to have at least one male present on the farm.
Rooster functions
It is worth noting that the fertilization of the laying hen is not the main function of the rooster. He also establishes order in the chicken coop. Therefore, his social role is no less important, and it consists in the following.
- A good rooster must take care of the proper nutrition of all chickens. In other words, he is obliged to ensure that the feed is distributed evenly, and the chickens do not take them from each other.
- In addition, he can drive the chicken into the chicken coop and make her lay down. He can even show the place where she should do it. This is especially true for young and inexperienced chickens. In order to teach them, the cock himself sits in the nest, showing them where to rush.
- If some naughty hen gets lost, the rooster helps her back to the chicken coop.
- It is also the responsibility of the rooster to awaken the entire herd. He does this by crowing.
- A good owner should warn all chickens of the approach of any danger. At this time, the rooster begins to scream very loudly and flap its wings.
- The cockerel resolves all conflict situations that arise in his herd. If necessary, he will punish the guilty with a simple peck on the head.
- Also, with its help, you can get a new offspring of chickens, achieving this in a natural way.
But in order to maintain order in the chicken coop all the time, the owners should not punish the rooster in public, as this largely undermines his authority. As a result, the herd ceases to obey its leader and becomes simply uncontrollable.
If this still happened, it is necessary to change the main leader.
You also need to know what having two or more males can lead to daily fights. They will beat each other for the right to take the lead. Sometimes it even happens that the stronger males beat the weak ones half to death. Therefore, if there are only 10-12 chickens on the farm, one rooster will be enough. Those owners who raise poultry only for meat should keep the roosters separately, so they can gain weight a little faster.
chicken physiology
If we talk about a chicken, then her egg is a large egg that a chicken can produce every month, regardless of whether there is a rooster in the hen house or not. However, an unfertilized egg is not suitable for prolonging the genus. To do this, you need both a rooster and a chicken. Without a male, the egg will only be suitable for food. The egg is located in a special shell called the follicle.
Therefore, in any case a rooster in a chicken coop is a must. But not everyone knows the physiology of the rooster, and therefore there are doubts about whether the rooster has genitals. Of course, they exist, but you can see them only in a chicken embryo, and then only at the very beginning.
Mating itself is very simple in chickens. First, the rooster begins to court the chosen lady of the heart. He finds worms for her, tries to attract her attention, and then jumps on the back of the female and begins to touch her feathers with his paws. At this time, a special hole opens in the chicken, which is intended for conception. The testicle of the rooster comes into contact with it and seminal fluid begins to stand out from it. It enters the genitals of the chicken. She can stay there for up to 20 days. The mating itself takes only a few seconds. However, a rooster can do this procedure up to 20 times a day.
The process of maturation of the egg occurs already in the ovary of the chicken. However, it begins to grow actively only before the oviposition itself. At this time, up to 5 yolks can be in the ovary at the same time. After the maturation of the egg, the shells begin to break, and the yolk enters the oviduct, where fertilization occurs. That is, the egg itself and the seed of the male meet here. It gets up to 50 germ cells, but it is fertilized by only one. Within a day, the egg is covered with a hard shell and comes out. Literally an hour after this, the next egg begins to form, and the process repeats in the same sequence.
In addition, you need to know that such a process practically does not affect the number of eggs. The only thing that improves is the quality of the egg itself. The yolk becomes brighter and more useful. However, not every person loves fertilized eggs, since they already have a small embryo. And although it is practically invisible, it will be difficult to eat it without disgust.
Methods for fertilizing chickens
There are several ways to fertilize hens, resulting in chicks. This is natural mating and artificial.
Β Natural
This method can also be divided into free and periodic fertilization. Both options occur naturally and both are considered effective.
- Free mating. This method is most used in households or on small farms where both males and layers are kept together. However, for high-quality fertilization of eggs, it is necessary that there is one rooster for 10-12 hens. In addition, the latter must be selected at an early age, already after one month of life. It is necessary to pay attention to the crest, as well as to the briskness of the male. This option of keeping chickens allows roosters to fertilize laying hens at any time. But it often happens that some layers are left behind, which means that not all eggs will be fertilized. Therefore, before laying eggs, it is imperative to inspect them with an ovoscope.
- Periodic mating. This option is most often used in large breeding poultry farms, where they grow special types of chickens. In such places, birds are kept in cages of 10 pieces. Opposite each such cage, a cage with a rooster is installed. For fertilization, it is planted with each chicken. They only do this in the afternoon. Mating is on schedule. In the first week – 2 times, in the second – 3 times, in the third – again 2 times. This option allows all laying hens to be fertilized, respectively, all eggs will be suitable for incubation.
Artificial
Recently, in large factories, the fertilization of hens without the participation of a rooster is quite common. This allows you to significantly increase the offspring and make it better. So, with this method, the number of chickens increases by 4-5 times. For example, seminal fluid, which is taken from one rooster, can immediately fertilize more than 90 hens.
In addition, you need to know that it must be collected from roosters after 1 day. After fertilization, the eggs are placed in a special chamber, and only after that they are placed in an incubator.
Chicks appear in the same way as in natural insemination, there are no differences.
Pros and cons of egg fertilization methods
Both positive and negative points can be found in any of the options.
If we talk about the negative side of keeping chickens with a rooster, then several key points need to be highlighted.
- Often you can see the aggressive behavior of roosters in relation to some hens. The rooster is able to begin to take food from them or even peck at some individuals.
- With a natural method of fertilization, laying hens have fewer feathers on their backs, and in some cases, wounds from claws appear.
- As soon as the chicken feels a fertilized egg inside her, the instinct of incubation begins to work in her. She begins to sit on the nest for days on end, and after a while she completely stops rushing. This is not very beneficial for the owner, who does not want to raise babies.
- If there is no rooster in the herd, the hen can be laid every time in a new place, which is very inconvenient.
However, there are also advantages to having a rooster.
- The eggs will be fertilized, and chicks will hatch from them, in addition, the yolks will have a very bright color.
- If the rooster is nearby, the hen will feel more comfortable. This is especially important in the spring, when the hormonal surge begins. During this period, a mother hen without a rooster may even become depressed, and she will stop eating.
- A beautiful rooster will be a real decoration for the entire chicken brood.
Artificial insemination is not very convenient, since for such a procedure it is necessary to keep each chicken and fertilize it in the usual way. In addition, it will also be difficult to take sperm from a rooster. The advantages include the fact that the layers will have a more presentable appearance, moreover, more chickens will turn out.
Summing up, it can be said that the presence of a rooster does not at all affect the quantity and quality of eggs laid. And chickens can carry them both with a male and without him. The only thing is that without a rooster it will not be possible to breed a new generation, since the testicles will not be fertilized. Therefore, for those who want to engage in breeding chickens, it is best to take care of the availability of a rooster in advance.
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