# Question



## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

My question is. I put the pair of birds in the pen on the 6th they layed the first egg in the 12th and the second on the 13th is this possible or was there a cock in the hen house. I just candled both eggs and they both have a little dark thing and a lot of veins in them. I did see one of the opals billing a hen but I never saw it strutting aroung any of the hens in there. I have had that bird in a box with a known cock and they haven't been fighting, they have been paired for a week. If it was a cock then these eggs are to 2 opals.


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## Greek Boy (Apr 12, 2010)

Gary- as you know it takes about 10 days after mating to produce eggs. Since the eggs are fertile chances are there was another cock in your hen house.-yours in sport- Nick..


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

If that is true. Then I have an old cock and a young cock in the same box for over a week not, wouldn't you think they would be fighting up a storm by now, with all the other birds mating around them? Then if that would be the case I won't be sure about any of the first round.


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## Greek Boy (Apr 12, 2010)

Gary- usually two cocks in a box will fight but not always. They might just stay out of each others way and take to opposite corners. Not every cock is up for a challenge to fight. I've seen cocks that allow themselves to be pushed around and never return a blow. Instead they flee to another perch.-Nick..


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## vangimage (Aug 15, 2010)

I had a friend who put two birds together and had fertile eggs in 5 days. His hens are always laying even in the hen loft. The pair was place together at the right time I guess. No there were no cocks in the hen loft.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

vangimage said:


> I had a friend who put two birds together and had fertile eggs in 5 days. His hens are always laying even in the hen loft. The pair was place together at the right time I guess. No there were no cocks in the hen loft.


 I will have to wait and see. There was a cock in the loft, I put the pair in the old loft and they both immediatly strated strutting around. If he did breed the hen they may not hatch because they are both opals. I did candle them and they had veins in them.


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

You only have 25% chance, statistically, of them inheriting opal from both parents.......so 3 out of 4 eggs should still hatch. 2/3 of those should be nice opals!


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Woodnative said:


> You only have 25% chance, statistically, of them inheriting opal from both parents.......so 3 out of 4 eggs should still hatch. 2/3 of those should be nice opals!


Wow I did not know it was that good odds. I have a lot of good opals but have a hard time pairing because I thought most would die. Thanks


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

I don't think it's set in stone that they have to be together 10 days. I've got an older pair that have been a pair for three seasons. When I put them together he'll breed her immediately and they'll have fertile eggs after 6-7 days.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

raftree3 said:


> I don't think it's set in stone that they have to be together 10 days. I've got an older pair that have been a pair for three seasons. When I put them together he'll breed her immediately and they'll have fertile eggs after 6-7 days.


 I saw that cock billing another hen that was laying eggs in the hen loft so maybe he was paired to that hen, but I guess that doesn't rule out him breeding other hens.


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## Wayne Johnson (Oct 1, 2010)

In the fish raising hobby there is a common phenomenon called a "covert male" that delays its sexual development due to the dominance of the other males in the tank. When the other males are gone, usually due to gender segregation for selective breeding, the fish that looked and acted gender neutral suddenly displays male traits. In pigeons and birds it would be a sub-dominant males that acts gender neutral until the dominant male is gone. because we rely on the behavior of the animal to determine gender I believe it would easy for a male to end up in the female area. 
Wayne


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