This is an embarrassing question. I can't find the answer in my books. Sorry if it's graphic.
If a hen (like my Allie) was housed with 3 roos, all different kinds, and I currently have 9 of her chicks, that means she had at least 9 eggs. So, with the mating part, does the roo give her enough ummm...stuff....to fertilize all 9 of those eggs? If she is laying one egg a day, does the "stuff" last for 9 days? Or is it possible that a different roo mated with her in the same time frame and for example, 4 of the eggs are fertilized by one roo, and 5 of them by another roo? Or would only the same roo keep mating with her for that time? Would he fight off the other roos once he fertilized her eggs?
I'm not really knowledgeable about this whole egg fertilization business. Hope somebody can enlighten me.
Claire
egg fertilization question
depends on the hen, some have a favorite roo and will spar at another for trying. if they all look alike i woul dsay just one roo.
and YES, his semen lasts for fertilzation about 30 days worth of eggs. i would say based on her breed she laid about 5 a week...
can we see new pics of the babies? play a "guess the roo" game?
I will take pics of the babies individually. My home internet is down for maybe up to a week - we are on Wildblue satellite and our satellite needs repositioning. Grumble. I will have to take the pics and then bring the camera to work to download. It would be good to know your opinions on them.
Thanks for the info on the 30 days worth. That is good to know.
They are all dark chicks, but some are starting to show what looks like barred rock characteristics, while others are developing what looks like brown patches on their feathers, but not the narrow bars like the ones getting black and white look to them. They are more patches than bars.
She is a Dark Cornish/Black Australorp cross (likely) and the dad is either light brahma (I doubt it) or barred rock (quite possible) or another roo that I don't know the breed but he was multicolored.
Claire
i bet hte other roo was oclored balck breasted red based on your description. and the light brahman never had a chance with such a lovely gal!
observe the circles, whether they are slothcy or concentric is your best bet as far as that goes. likely your males whose pop was th BR, will look like tBR, and his female offsprings will just be black with little or no barring.... my best guess here, without enough coffee in my brain...
tf
If Im not mistaken, a barred rock roo will produce all barred offspring. That should make it easier to tell what you have.
Hmmm...they weren't all barred. Some are, about 60% of them I guess.