Chicken question

[Susie]

Before I ask, I know this is one of those things you won't be able to believe people don't know and I will sound like the person in the other thread who deadheaded strawberry plants. However:

My aunt has acquired some chickens and a cockerel. The chickens are laying eggs. I have no idea why she has decided to have a cockerel as well, but she has got one, so there we are. If you have chickens and a cockerel, are all the eggs the chickens produce fertilised, or are just some of them fertilised, and how can you tell which ones? Only, she is scared to eat the eggs in case she kills a potential chicken, and it seems silly to have chickens and not be able to eat the eggs, especially as she seems to be spending all her time following them round the garden checking they are ok and keeping them away from her mad cat so it all seems quite high maintenance.

Please help as I cannot bear to have another conversation with any member of my family about the reproductive cycle of the chicken without one of us having actual knowledge.

I do know this is a stupid question so please be gentle .

[little blue duck]

Ok ....
1) the hens will lay without the cockerel, but he should look after them - showing them the good food, warnign of danger etc.
2) if he crows at stupid o'clock day in, day out, your aunt (and the neighbours) may soon get fed up of him!
3) the eggs will be potentially fertile IF... he is fertile, the girls are fertile & he is doing the right thing ;)
HOWEVER!
If you collect the eggs as fresh as possible (Ie every day) then they are not developing;
mrs hen will lay an egg a day for say a week or more, leaving them in the nest but not "sitting" them until she has a full clutch (enough eggs) THEN she'll sit/brood the whole lot of eggs for three weeks, keeping them warm & slightly humid..
The eggs will only begin to develop once they are warm enough, they are kind of in "stasis" until then.

so its fine to eat fresh eggs, even if fertilised.
Just store them cool or even in the fridge if you prefer.

* you can't tell by looking which ones will be fertile.

and apologies if you do know this... the reproductive cycle of the chicken - she'll lay approx every 25 hours,when daylight so the eggs will get a little later each day til she has a day off (ours invariably have sundays off!)
different parts of the egg are formed in different parts of the system, and if she has a scare say, or inadequate water/food then you may see "faults" like lovely double yolkers or wobbly shells.

what breed & age are they?

as for chicken protection from the cat ... consider a move-able run that will keep the chickens secure from cats, dogs etc & protect the garden from chickens

h.t.h

[Thomzo]

Hi
It's not a stupid question at all. I didn't know any of this stuff until I researched it when I got my first chickens. Once you do start finding out how chickens 'work' they really are quite fascinating creatures.

Following chickens around the garden is, I'm afraid, part and parcel of keeping them. They are such great fun creatures and I could watch them all day. The only trouble is, when you turn round, they follow you.

Zoe

[Susie]

Thank you both! This is fantastic. I shall tell her she can eat her eggs. She says they are bantams but I'm not sure how old they are, I will check.

I know she has them in a little house at night to protect them from the fox, but I have a feeling they have the run of her garden during the day and it is probably anarchy. I will suggest a run for them. And I am encouraged to learn the cockerel should be organising the ladies, I don't think he is so far (she said he seemed a bit dim) but he might settle in and get more assertive .

[Thomzo]

In my experience bantams are less troublesome than full sized chickens so more likely to be a bit of a rave than full scale anarchy. The cockerel probably won't be quite so noisy either. If he's quite young, he's probably just finding his feet at the moment.

Zoe