Separation - How long?

How long does it take to 'clean out' my hens before putting them in with the intended rooster to breed for collection? I'm new at this so I don't really know what the proper terminology for this is! LOL

Three weeks usually, but 4 is better. Even at that you are not totally guaranteed.

Wow - that's a lot longer than I thought. I had been told 2 weeks. So if I separate my black silkies from my white silkies now then I may be ready to collect at the end of Feb?

Yep, I wait 4 weeks too.

1 month it is for me!!

And for next year if you can help it, keep no roosters with the hens at all until you select breeders. because if the hen is "open" and you put her with a roo, you can collect for hatching the next day.

I don't really want to correct people but I AI many of my birds and anything after 10 days the hens are not fertile. If you want good fertility you need to AI them every 3 day. It also depends on their egg production slightly. Hens that lay lots of eggs will use up the AI faster.

Sebas49 wrote:I don't really want to correct people but I AI many of my birds and anything after 10 days the hens are not fertile. If you want good fertility you need to AI them every 3 day. It also depends on their egg production slightly. Hens that lay lots of eggs will use up the AI faster.

Wow, now if that doesn't change the concept idea of three to four weeks. And then certainly too, now doesn't that open up a whole new concept of how long a hen remains with the ability after insemination to have fertile eggs. Absolutely, not to contradict Sebas, but this is really interesting to hear. Where on earth did the concept of 3-4 weeks come from then anyways I wonder.

Another point to ponder may be, certain breeds, large or bantam fowl, could retain sperm longer than other breeds or type....boy oh boy and oi oi oi. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

Piet wrote:And for next year if you can help it, keep no roosters with the hens at all until you select breeders. because if the hen is "open" and you put her with a roo, you can collect for hatching the next day.

So you just have separate cages for all your roosters and only put them with the hens when you want to collect hatching eggs?

Sebas49 wrote:I don't really want to correct people but I AI many of my birds and anything after 10 days the hens are not fertile. If you want good fertility you need to AI them every 3 day. It also depends on their egg production slightly. Hens that lay lots of eggs will use up the AI faster.

Interesting to note that fertility with AI drops off to nothing by 10 days. Are there other statistics that outline this result as well? Perhaps statistics that also show fertility times with natural breeding too?

May I ask why you AI. I would hazard a guess that these are show chickens and you don't want their plumage damaged?

RavenWood wrote:

Piet wrote:And for next year if you can help it, keep no roosters with the hens at all until you select breeders. because if the hen is "open" and you put her with a roo, you can collect for hatching the next day.

So you just have separate cages for all your roosters and only put them with the hens when you want to collect hatching eggs?

i grow the chicks out and when i can tell the sexes i split them separate . Hens in one pen, roosters in another. Then i have 8 breeding pens and this time of year i take the best roosters and give them one or two hens that match them. They stay together unless the hen gets too much action, i will add more hens and a lot of times because i only keep relativly small numbers can tell which egg is from which hens. When i swap a rooster i will generally carry on hatching eggs for another week and then wait two weeks to hatch and i consider those eggs from the new roo. You can also just put the hen with the desired roo a couple times a week and wham bam it works just as good and is easy on the hens backfeathers. AI for longevity of semen is not the same as natural as there is a smaller amount being placed and change of temparature occurs at collection, whereas the cloac smack is the purest way to deliver it, but some real heavy feathered birds like cochins can waste it by not hitting the spot and that is why artificial insemination is sometimes prefferred.

I wait a week. I have only had one crossbred chick hatched after a week of separation. I still have her. She is one of favorite layers.

I do not sell eggs so any mistakes will be my own.

RavenWood wrote:

Piet wrote:And for next year if you can help it, keep no roosters with the hens at all until you select breeders. because if the hen is "open" and you put her with a roo, you can collect for hatching the next day.

So you just have separate cages for all your roosters and only put them with the hens when you want to collect hatching eggs?

I try to house most of my roosters together for the winter.

Schipperkesue wrote:I try to house most of my roosters together for the winter.

Don't they fight?

I should be more clear. I house the upcoming cockerals together. They have been together since they were chicks, and when I know who is a pullet and who is a cockeral, I separate them and keep them that way until I am ready to make breeding groups. Then I pick my hens I wish to use and the cockerals I want for them, and house each group separately.

We kept the roos all separate this year and it's a much calmer coop this winter. There's my son big buff Cochin Roo (Garfield) in with the 40-50 (I haven't counted in awhile LOL) hens. The 6 other roos (2 brahma, 2 rocks, leghorn and a bantam cochin) are in another building along with our Bourbon turkey pair and no fighting at all! The roos were out with the ladies until fall. The boys starting fighting and being rough with girls so I was grumpy and ready to make soup but we separated and everyone is much healthier and happier. Now instead of soup in spring they'll make chicks I think the trick is not to have them near the girls and getting excited