# Rosters and Hens



## AdamA (May 1, 2013)

Are you supposed to house your Rooster with your hens all the time or only when you want to breed them? In other words if I collect eggs daily will it hurt to eat them if they're fertile?


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

They can be housed all together. Fertile eggs taste no different than non-fertile eggs.


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## AdamA (May 1, 2013)

Thanks for the info


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

I agree with Apyl. Also, it's my personal opinion that being with his hens is exactly where the rooster belongs. A rooster has 3 jobs in a flock - protection, provider and procreation. He can't do those jobs unless he is with the hens. I rely on my roosters, drakes and gander to let me know when something is amiss in the barnyard. If there are predators around or the birds are under attack I'm going to hear about it from the males first, even though the barnyard is a good distance from the house.


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

I agree 100%. .......


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## Samhagman (Jul 13, 2013)

I have two hens that the roster has completely de feathered them, what should I do, they try to stay away from him?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Usual ratio of rooster to hens is 1:10...if you just have 2 they will breed the feathers right off them...pretty much torture in the chicken world. In that case, the rooster needs to be separate from the hens except for when needed for breeding..and then separated once again.


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## Bird_slave (Oct 26, 2012)

Samhagman said:


> I have two hens that the roster has completely de feathered them, what should I do, they try to stay away from him?


 Sometimes a roo is immature and hasn't yet learned how to mount well, sometimes you just end up with a klutzy rooster that can't manage to mate without treading feathers off, no matter how old he is. 
They make an item called a hen saddle for such things. Worn by the hen it protects her back from further damage. Hensavers.com makes one model, there are other brands too. 
If you think your rooster may just be suffering from a bit of immaturity, but he is otherwise a good rooster and just needs more experience at mounting, you might look into the saddles. 
I recently re-homed a rooster that I gave a year to gain experience, but he just wasn't getting it.


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