With the growing concern among people to be healthy, People are adopting farm food and organic products. For sustainable living, you may consider a chicken coop in your kitchen garden or backyard. And why not, while according to the reports of “Good Morning America” chicken coop in the backyard are gaining popularity, people are lured to follow the trend.
You might not develop the love for loud and aggressive roosters. But are roosters necessary for your backyard chicken coop? The excellent news is hens do not need roosters to lay eggs. So now you can pursue your dream for the backyard chicken coop but with no Roosters! Roosters are not required for egg production.
The necessity of a rooster
Hens can surely lay eggs with or without the Rooster present. Your backyard chicken coop can be completed with just the hens. The roosters do not need to be present for the hens to lay eggs. Only if you desire to raise more chicken you will need to mate your hen with a rooster. Mating with Rooster can help the hen to lay fertilized eggs. Afterward, she will keep them warm until the birth of a little chicken.
Otherwise, a hen can lay eggs on its own. When the young eggs, also known as pullets, reach the age of 16 to 24 weeks, they begin laying eggs. Further, the frequency of the hen laying eggs depends on various factors. The breed and the time of the year are major factors for a hen to lay eggs. Thus the laying capacity of a hen or a pullet depends on these factors.
A rooster is not required for the production of eggs by the hens. But, if the Rooster is allowed to mingle with the hen, the hen will lay fertilized eggs that can result in chicks if allowed to incubate. The fertilized eggs can be either put in artificial incubators or can be guarded by the warmth of the hens, the natural way. Only if you happen to take the fertilized eggs and place them in a refrigerator, the embryo will not develop.
While the warmth will help the embryo develop in a chick, the refrigeration will stop the development of the embryo. This will make the eggs edible and prevent any further fertilization or more chicken to hatch from the egg. Therefore, even if an egg is a fertilized one, it is edible. The egg can be placed in the refrigerator to stop any further embryo development, and then it becomes edible.
Now that you know the roosters are not necessary for your backyard chicken coop, you can start hoarding healthy chickens in your backyard. When after six months, the hen begins to lay eggs, handpick them daily, and refrigerate them immediately. Your hens will have a peak time of 3-4 years to lay eggs while the frequency will again depend upon the breed of the bird. The hens will further lay eggs at longer intervals and lesser quantity.
In conclusion
So, it is true that hens do not need roosters to lay eggs. The pullets can lay eggs within 16-24 weeks and can lay sufficient eggs for 3-4 years. The older the hen will become, the longer the intervals will be in laying eggs and the lesser eggs it will lay. While you need hens to lay sufficient eggs, choose the breed of your hens accordingly.
