Does a rooster need to be in the flock before the hens lay eggs?
The female chicken lays eggs whether roosters are or are not present in the flock. In fact, almost all commercial eggs offered for sale in the supermarkets are produced by hens that have never had contact with roosters. The primary factor which stimulates the hens to lay eggs is the amount of light that they are exposed to. This is how the hens are maintained in egg production throughout all seasons of the year. The only time that a rooster is necessary in an egg production flock is when fertile eggs are needed for hatching into chicks. Since commercial table eggs are best marketed as infertile eggs, the roosters are not provided. In commercial egg producing flocks the roosters are considered a liability, they eat feed but produce no eggs. Fertile eggs are, therefore, more expensive to produce. Return to Questions I have been told that I should not raise several poultry species in the yard at the same time, why? It is not recommended that you keep different types of poultry together on
