Barred Rocks Good Shepard Poulty Ranch - Page 69

yes, hats off to jeremy woeppel...nice flock you have...I have these Woeppel pullets that I am proud to own and enjoy too! 

I put one of my cockerels, 10 months old, in with 3 pullets a couple of days ago. At least 2 of the pullets are laying. I haven't seen any breeding interest on the part of the male yet, is this usual?

I am not sure but I'd think that once that he figures 'he's the man' he'll get the notion of what he is there for! Perhaps if he's in a new pen he just needs to settle in with his new gals 

Desertmarcy,

would love to see some pics of that Quad!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertmarcy 

I put one of my cockerels, 10 months old, in with 3 pullets a couple of days ago. At least 2 of the pullets are laying. I haven't seen any breeding interest on the part of the male yet, is this usual?

My roo was SLOW to breeding too.  I first put him in the pen the hens were in.... nothing.  Then I put him in a pen and then added pullets/hens and he has been fine since.  He is a little over a year now and doing fine breeding.

My 3rd generation is now just going into the breeding pens and none of them have been very successful before they were a close to a year old. I have gotten a few that were fertile by younger cockerels, but don't expect good fertility before a year. These are very slow to mature in every way. I think it slowed their maturity down somewhat by putting them in the breeding pen too early too.....stan

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigercreek 

My 3rd generation is now just going into the breeding pens and none of them have been very successful before they were a close to a year old. I have gotten a few that were fertile by younger cockerels, but don't expect good fertility before a year. These are very slow to mature in every way. I think it slowed their maturity down somewhat by putting them in the breeding pen too early too.....stan

Someone had posted recently that their male had been breeding, younger than mine, so I thought he was old enough. I have my extra males in 4'x4' "male cages" and feel pretty sorry for them being cooped up in such a small space, they should be able to get more exercise. That is part of the reason I moved him to the pullet's pen, which is around 10'x18'. Plus I have deposits for some chicks....I hope those people don't get too impatient   I have not seen much change in body structure/size now with the 3 cockerels I have, but then it is hard to notice small changes when you see them every day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertmarcy 

Someone had posted recently that their male had been breeding, younger than mine, so I thought he was old enough. I have my extra males in 4'x4' "male cages" and feel pretty sorry for them being cooped up in such a small space, they should be able to get more exercise. That is part of the reason I moved him to the pullet's pen, which is around 10'x18'. Plus I have deposits for some chicks....I hope those people don't get too impatient   I have not seen much change in body structure/size now with the 3 cockerels I have, but then it is hard to notice small changes when you see them every day.

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I saw this post too I thought to myself, my boys surely weren't mating by 6/7 much less crowing then maybe it was the being a lone ranger in the bunch. I think generally they will be more like 9/12 months or more before reaching this point IMO

Jeff

cbnovick,

Will you have hatching eggs available this Spring?

chris

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddyfro 

 

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My GSBR are calmer birds that I can walk amongst, but do not want to be picked up. They will eat scratch from my hand. The lone cockerel is crowing and mating since about 6-7 months, and at almost 8 months has not been aggressive. (Overall he's the quietest guy I've ever kept.) I've made no attempt to make pets of them. Unlike some of my chickens that run to the coop when I toss food in the pen, the Rocks run to it

 

 

I saw this post too I thought to myself, my boys surely weren't mating by 6/7 much less crowing then maybe it was the being a lone ranger in the bunch. I think generally they will be more like 9/12 months or more before reaching this point IMO

 

Jeff

Mine didn't start crowing until at least 6 months old, I think it was closer to 7. Definitely they were crowing well before 91/2 months. I know sometimes the boys can stealth mate. I didn't think my Black Copper Marans cockerel was doing his job when I first put him in with the pullets, never saw him breeding. But almost all of the eggs incubated were fertile and hatched. Around here, I found the time to catch them is right before they are going to roost for the night. I went out at that time and observed 3 different cockerels, 3 different breeds, in 3 different pens, including the Marans--doing their job right around dusk.