As I mentioned in yesterdayâs post about the house where Joan Crawford (aka Faye Dunaway) lived in Mommie Dearest, I have become just a wee-bit obsessed with the 1981 film as well as the 1978 autobiography of Joanâs daughter, Christina Crawford, on which it was based.
Hens will lay nutritious eggs without having a rooster around. A virile rooster will mate frequently with most or all the hens in his harem. If there arenât enough girls to divide his time among, he may wear them out. This can cause damage to the hensâ combs, necks, and backs from the roosterâs beak and spurs. Generally, a good minimum ratio is 8-10 hens per rooster.
If this happens, the hen will lay a fertilized egg. This probably goes without saying, but if you donât have a rooster, you will not have any fertilized eggsâ¦ever. A hen can lay fertilized eggs from anywhere to 2 days after mating up to 3 weeks after mating with the rooster. The oldest and easiest way to tell if an egg is fertilized is called candling the egg. It is literally holding the egg up to a lit candle {not to warm it, but in order to see inside of the egg}. You can also use a very bright small flashlight. If the egg appears opaque, it is probably a fertilized egg.