Hatching egg collection

I am very curious as to how long after you have chosen your breeding birds and separated them, do you wait before collecting eggs for hatching. As I kept two EO roos in with all the hens this year I want to ensure that I know who is who in the zoo when I get started with the hatching process. They have been separated since December 17th. Please tell me of any experiences you have had that have led to your decision.

XOX Monika

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3 weeks, used to wait 2 weeks until one time when I hatched eggs from a hen that had been seperated from a different rooster and the egg at exactly the two week mark was the only one that had the different father.

A month if the hen was exposed to another rooster before. If she was open, not been with another roo, then the next day i will collect. I try to always keep two groups, hens and roosters untill i pair them up, keeping the hens open, so then i dont need to wait. Unless i swap a rooster of course midway season, then there is a month grace.

I chose the 3 week option on your poll, but it does vary a bit. Like Piet, I try to keep a couple of pens with only hens so that they are ready for breeding when I suddenly decide I am ready. If I do have a rooster in the pen that I don't wish to breed them with, I will wait at least 3 weeks or longer to be sure there is no chance of a mistake. If I am switching roos within the same breed I will keep collecting eggs for 10 days or so that could be from either mating. Those chicks can be sold to others. Then I'll keep the next batch for myself and feel confident enough to track the offspring to the current rooster.

A week for me because I don't sell eggs. Never had a crossbred but that may just be the breeds I have.

I did a month last year and still ended up with some that were not pure. So I have switched to the 6 weeks now to know for sure. I generally do not keep roosters with my hens so if they were not in with a rooster before collecting I will start right away, but for my own use. I will wait 2 weeks to ensure proper fertility before I collect for others to sell.

If the hen was with another roo, then definetly one month before collecting eggs.

If no other roo, I will start collecting eggs if I see mating between the two. If I don't see any interaction, I will begin collecting after two and begin to test for fertility.