Do Roosters Lay Eggs?

At first, the question of ‘do roosters lay eggs?’ might sound a dumb one to you. But there’s a lot of myth about rooster laying eggs. The funny part is that you’ll meet such people once in a while who staunchly believe that rooster lays eggs.

So far, the discussion has made it obvious that roosters do not lay eggs. However, terms like rooster eggs create confusion in many people’s minds. More specifically, the first-time flock keepers and owners get overwhelmed to know everything(technical or basic) about the anatomy and physiology of their pets.

Rooster is the male chicken or what is most commonly known as cock sometimes. Just like other animal and plant species, male chicken or rooster is also not supposed to lay eggs. However, there is a difference between male chicken and rooster. Rooster is the term used for a completely mature male chicken.

We have come up with this article to address all the questions related to roosters, their egg-laying, gender, flock responsibilities, etc. So let’s get into the main content without any further ado.

Do roosters lay eggs?

Let’s answer your question formally.

The straight answer is no, never, not possible. A rooster laying eggs is not practically possible. Neither does chicken physiology support this claim, nor does the anatomy. Rooster is a male member of the chicken family, and the convention is the same as in all other species of animals and human beings. If someone knows the basics of biology, he won’t dare to ask this question. However, if you bought a rooster that started laying eggs, you better get its sex checked by a nearby vet and bird clinic.

The next question to ask here is why does this myth exists in the minds of several people?

Of course, because of rooster eggs.

Eggs laid by hens are categorized into different categories, and rooster eggs are one of them. The other popular type of egg is a far egg.

Rooster eggs are small-sized eggs having no yolk. Rooster eggs are also known as witch eggs, fairy eggs, or wind eggs. All these names have been given due to several myths spread around.

The hens lay rooster eggs if their reproductive system is working differently. Sometimes, the young hens lay rooster eggs at the start of probation and laying eggs.

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The second category of eggs is fart eggs. The fart eggs are also smaller than the normal ones. However, the yolk is not absent in this case. Besides, the pigmentation in the egg’s outer shell makes these darker in color. The fart egg has a dark color due to spending more time in the hen’s shell gland pouch.

You don’t have to worry if you find one or two hens of your flock showing patterns of laying rooster or fart eggs. However, if the frequency of such instances increases, it’s time to investigate the possible reasons. Otherwise, you don’t have to worry about it.

Is Having A Rooster Necessary For Getting Eggs?

When you know that roosters can’t lay eggs, the next question arises: Is it necessary to have a rooster for getting eggs?

You might not know this before, but the rooster is not necessary to get eggs from hens.

Surprised?

Yes, the rooster has no role to play in getting eggs from hens. Hens can lay eggs without a rooster around. The number of eggs a hen lays is also not affected by the presence or absence of a rooster.

It might be surprising for you how do chickens lay eggs without a rooster.

Well, the answer is very simple. All your young hen needs to lay eggs is good nutrition, sunlight, and water. It’s natural anatomy in hens that they start to lay eggs once they reach a specific age. Light plays an important role in inducing egg-laying in a hen. The frequency of egg-laying is around 5 eggs a week. It’s due to the average 26 hours required in egg production to pop out.

Then why do we need to keep roosters in a flock?

Wondering how does a rooster fertilizes eggs if the hen doesn’t need it to lay eggs? Well, if you want to get fertilized eggs and hatch them to get more chicken offsprings, then having a rooster is necessary. A rooster can mate with 10 hens at a time.

Don’t worry, the next section is all about it.

How Do Roosters Fertilize Eggs?

Let’s have a look at how a rooster performs his job.

The mating of a hen with rooster results in fertilized eggs. The rooster mate with a hen by putting its bump inside hen’s vent. He releases sperms, the sperms travel to the oviduct, and eggs are fertilized there. The process of fertilizing the egg is commonly known as the cloacal kiss in birds.

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Hens have sperm pockets that can store the rooster’s sperm for fertilization of the egg over the course of the next few days. A hen lays an egg daily unless it has a clutch of eggs to breed.

When a rooster becomes young to mate and fertilize eggs, you might be thinking. The hen starts egg-laying once it hits 18 weeks or above. On the other hand, a rooster becomes young to mate and fertilizes eggs at a younger age of 16 to 20 weeks. The sperm production of roosters decreases with aging. A rooster can mate 10 hens during a 24-hours timeframe with millions of sperms released.

Breeding And Hatching Eggs

The fertilized eggs can be differentiated from the unfertilized ones because there is a white ring around the egg yolk. But you will never know if an egg is fertilized unless s you break it. That is the reason why many eggs get rotten during the hatching period. The unfertilized eggs are wasted during the hatching process. The total time required in hatching a fertilized egg is 21 days.

Why Have A Rooster In A Flock?

Most people think that having a rooster in flock is necessary for hens’ egg laying. We’ve dissolved that myth and also that rooster doesn’t lay eggs.

Now you might be thinking that if hens can lay eggs without a rooster, why do we need to have a rooster. Well, it’s your personal choice.

You need a rooster if you want to get fertilized eggs, breed them, and hatch into chicks. There are many other perks of keeping a rooster or two in your flock. However, here is our suggestion to all the backyard flock owners.

Protect Hens From Predators

Roosters are the males of the species gallus gallus domesticus, or what we commonly call chicken. The male chicken is a natural protector of its flock. A rooster will do everything to keep predators away from females of its family. Therefore, it is a great idea to keep a rooster when you buy a flock of hens. By having one in your flock, you can be less worried about the hens going on a walk or at night.

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Entertainment

Have you ever thought of this aspect?

Well, it’s actually fun to have roosters in the flock. They’re more lively and flashy than hens. If you want a live presentation of your flock, adding a rooster or two won’t be a bad idea. Besides, the appearance of roosters is much better than the hens. They’ve bright colors and are more feathery.

Watching your roosters wooing the hens with dance can be a sight to relieve all stress of the day. So consider the suggestion!

Fertilization

Of course, if you plan to get hen’s eggs hatched, a rooster is necessary. He will do the duty of fertilizing all the hens in your flock and provide with eggs that are fit for breeding and hatching.

Brings A Balance And Order

Do you know roosters are great at bringing balance and peace to their flocks?

The bossy and aggressive males know how to tackle and manage the hens and younger chicks of the family. Therefore, you must add one or two roosters to your flock for a natural balance and order.

However, if you choose to bring in a lot of roosters or as many roosters as hens, it can lead to world war III in your backyard. So, keep it optimum.

Possible Cons Of Keeping A Rooster In Flock

Well, roosters are cute, fun, bossy, and protectors; there are some possible cons of having them in your flock.

  • Hens might feel harassed, or they can harm the hens in aggression.
  • If you’ve slept at 3 a.m. in the morning, consider it a nap of 2 or 3 hours because the rooster will wake you up early morning with his annoying noise.
  • The roosters also don’t like to live alone. Therefore, you can’t separate them from the flock, or you’ll lose them.

Can We Eat Fertilized Eggs?

Yes, there is nothing such as not eating the fertilized eggs. The fertilized eggs areas suitable for eating than the unfertilized ones. However, these eggs can be brood to produce more chicken.

Final Thoughts

We have shared some useful information and broken some of the baseless myths about roosters laying eggs! We hope you will find this information useful and it will help you in taking care of your flock better than before!