Now, let me start right off by saying that "I do know I need to have a rooster for my hens to lay fertile eggs". I was told I need to have a rooster for the egg laying process to begin, is that so?? Also, what is Gape in chicken?? What is the cure?

-- Russ Bauer (A.R.BAUER@ATT.NET), April 10, 2001

Answers

You do not need a rooster for the hens to start laying. Most hens start laying between 18-22 weeks. Depends on the breed.

-- Wendy (weiskids@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.

about the egg thing--------think of it this way----a young girl comes of age and her eggs start coming down, thus her monthly cycle. To have a child, you have to do the sex thing. It is the same thing in chickens, the pullet is having a cycle, but instead of the egg being absorbed as in the human female, the egg comes on out as a hard shelled thing. The you have to have the male to do the sex thing.

Once it was explained to me this way (30 years ago) and I thiught about it---it became very facinating. It is just like a human--- carry it a few more steps and the egg shell is like the uterus of a human, self contained and carrying a baby. Neat huh:>).

The GAPE thing. There are articles that say gapeworm and it is a worm that makes the bird gasp for breath----------but a bird will "gape" or "gasp" when he has an upper respiratory infection.

From my long experiece, if you got sick birds--KILL them. But most people have to learn from their own mistakes. Abird that has been sick will NEVER come back 100%. I HAVE nursed birds back (100.00 birds$) but I would do that only if I had no way of replacing the bird and it was the only bird of that sex that I had.

I do hope this helps. bonnie in Indiana

-- Bonnie Norris (queqid@att.net), April 16, 2001.