[plumseverywhere]

I sell eggs from hens that run with a cockerel. My husband is a vegetarian but turns a blind eye 


There was a link put on here not long ago showing some images of fertilised eggs - you could see a tiny white dot on the yolk.


I think so long as you collect eggs regularly, there shouldn't be an issue?

[jaykay]

Some breeds are autosexing, such as Cream Legbars, ie you can tell pullets from cockerels as soon as they hatch.

Otherwise, as has been said, you can get a fair idea at two days old from wing feathers in many breeds. If not, it becomes pretty obvious by wattles and combs from about 8 weeks old, again depending on breed.

I keep old 'dual purpose' chooks such as Buff Sussex and laced Wyandottes. The cockerels are certainly worth eating at 6 months and by then they are so annoying, fighting each other and bugging the hens that you don't mind wringing their necks. Personally I'd rather do it at that age than a day old.

You mustn't keep too many cockerels, I've never had them kill a hen but too many certainly make their lives a misery.

[in the hills]

Bionic - I found it easier knowing that any cockerels would be eaten and not wasted. By then they have had better lives than most and we do eat chicken so good to know that they had been well looked after. You can usually find someone locally that can help to dispatch and show you how to dress if need be.


I can sex RIRs by a few days old and some breeds are auto sexing so can be told at a day old if you want to despatch early. Also crosses like RIR x Light sussex.

[jaykay]

I knew there was a Light Sussex auto-sexing cross (senior moment, couldn't recall with what  )

[hughesy]

I knew there was a Light Sussex auto-sexing cross (senior moment, couldn't recall with what  )

It's usually RIR x Light Sussex and it's a sex linked cross not auto-sexing. Google will tell you the difference.

[jaykay]

Ok, the terms are used a bit differently in general poultry circles than in biology.

In poultry it seems it's called sex-linked if it's a first cross which produces the different coloured males and females (ie it wouldn't work if you then crossed these together so you need to keep the two different parent breeds to make the cross each time) and auto-sexing if it's a pure breed that does.

In biology you say that a gene is sex linked if it is carried on the sex chromosomes, of which hens have one and cocks two, the opposite way round to humans. Silver is a sex linked gene. The expression of two particular sex-linked genes (alleles) can be a set of auto-sexing chicks, ie ones you can tell apart from down and feather colour.

[sam.t]

thought the sex linked x was LIGHTSUSSEX (HEN) X RIR(BOY) gives you what a lot of people call gingernut rangers fantastic layers and very pretty to look at :-)
the bit about eating fertile eggs you can tell a differance in them when you crack a fertile egg open the yoke will have a circle spot (white ish in colour) in it that means its fertile i know you can get pictures on google showing you :-)

[jaykay]

It is, it would only work that way round.

The hen gives her one Silver gene, which is dominant, to her sons, but her '-' chromosomes to her girls, which is what makes them girls (this chromosome is so small it doesn't have this feather colour gene on)

The cock gives his red gene, which is recessive, to both sons and daughters.

Hen                                    Cock
S  -                                     s  s                     where S = silver and s = red

Possible offspring

Ss            Ss               -s             -s

Silver males                  Red females

If you do it the other way round, the cock could have two dominant silver genes, which he gives to both sons and daughters. Since it's dominant, that's what shows in both pullets and cockerels, so they look the same.

[suziequeue]

Ahhh - allele diagrams........ That takes me back :-))

[jaykay]

Sometimes, it's the only way this visual learner can get things straight 

[Sylvia]

Here! this is all getting a bit clever   I wait until mine are about five months old and if they cluck I keep them and if they crow I eat them

[in the hills]

       

[Bionic]

Sylvia, I will probably follow your method. It sounds pretty fool proof to me 

[suziequeue]

Our cuckoo Marian's started showing a difference (to our unpractised eye) at about four weeks and definitely by six weeks. We are following the same plan as Sylvia mentioned.

I reckon if we can grow our flock by about three hens a year then that will give us time to expand

[Penninehillbilly]

As for fertile eggs I'm sure someone will be along in a minute to tell us all that it's illegal to sell fertile eggs, which is nonsense.

IT'S ILLEGAL TO SELL FERTILE EGGS!
 
Sorry couldn't resist that tbit of nonsense 
If it was there would be a heck of a lot of people breaking the law (as well as the obvious ones)