when will a silkie rooster mature?

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Prestonsloan12

Chirping
8 Years
Jan 15, 2012
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warrior Alabama
i have a silkie hen and rooster (i believe) they are wonderful! but how long until he can breed? i want to mix him with my dom. i think the outcome would be pretty! just curious as to how long it will be until i can breed him? they are 11 weeks old!

Sanja the hen



serengio the roo

 
Roosters are sexually mature at the same age their sisters start laying eggs. So if a hen starts laying eggs at 20 weeks her brother or hatch mate will be able to fertilise them. Keep in mind that roosters need to practice a bit before mating successfully. So let him mess around a bit before setting any eggs and crack a few eggs to see if they are fertile first.

Here's what to look for: How to Tell a Fertile vs INfertile Egg (Pictures)
 
Last edited:
I'm going to respectfully disagree. Males will often mature months earlier than females and will begin mating efforts with resistant pullets. One of the ways you can tell that a pullet is close to laying her first egg is that she begins squatting rather than screeching and running away. It would be nice if they matured in tandem but I believe that's the exception, not the norm.
 
Roosters will start "mating" with hens from an early age. I've had male chicks try to mount their own mothers and the most memorable one was a chicky little guy who jumped on another chick's mom when he was barely 2 months old! But they will not be mature enough to fertilise the hen's eggs, i.e. mate successfully. In general the opinion is that roosters mature sexually aged 5 months, but some smaller breeds mature quicker. Also see here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/180127/when-is-a-rooster-sexually-mature
 
Ah, so you're defining sexual maturity by fertility rates. I'm defining it by the hormone surge that brings about physical and behavioral changes.
 
you will know a hen and roo the rooster has a rasberry bumppy comb but the hen has almost nothing
 

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