Chicken mating thread !!!

[Peep-Chicken]

When will my rooster start mounting and being accurately fertile? He's a OE at 5? Weeks (to young now, I know that) . Thanks!

 

[ChickyChickens]

There is no specific time, it normally depend on the rooster. Some of my roosters have started mating early, 6-7 weeks and others will take their time! I have had a rooster that never mated until he was 1 year old! And when he started mating he was infertile . If you have other roosters they might not let him mate.

When I started keeping chickens I had a young roo and an old roo. When the young one wanted to try and mate the older one wouldn't let him and would chase him away. My roosters that I own now are very kind and when a young roo is practising his mating they step back and let him try but as soon as he gets it right they start beating him up!

 

[Peep-Chicken]

I only have two roosters. A 4 week old one and a two week old.

Thanks

 

[centrarchid]

Proper / normal mating behavior does not start until birds at least 20 weeks old. Such prior behavior more typical of setting where no adults males to suppress. For me adulthood not reached until birds pushing 8 months and more changes to come until they are nearly 18 months old.

Much of what people discuss as problematic behavior involves juveniles in a "lord of the flies" type of setting. Make an effort to observe adults before making generalizations.

 

[TeaChick]

My roo started crowing around 8 weeks and he was trying to mate the hens last night at 10 weeks. do i have a special roo? they run from him, and he grabs their heads and then trys to get on them. they don't like it.

Some start practicing earlier than others. I've had cockerels that start crowing at a young age, but don't start trying to mate until around 20 weeks (approximately average); I've had cockerels that started trying to mate around 20-25 weeks and didn't start crowing until significantly later than that.
No, my hens don't like it when the cockerels start trying to mate with them either. The cockerels haven't earned it; some hens will give it up anyway, but most of mine won't.

 

[TeaChick]

I only have two roosters. A 4 week old one and a two week old.

Thanks

I would recommend getting some hens/pullets ASAP. It's easier on the hens if they reach maturity before the cockerels/roosters.
In very round numbers and general terms: Most chickens reach sexual maturity (laying or mating/crowing) around 20-22 weeks old.

 

[TeaChick]

Proper / normal mating behavior does not start until birds at least 20 weeks old. Such prior behavior more typical of setting where no adults males to suppress. For me adulthood not reached until birds pushing 8 months and more changes to come until they are nearly 18 months old.

Much of what people discuss as problematic behavior involves juveniles in a "lord of the flies" type of setting. Make an effort to observe adults before making generalizations.

Very good points.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[GreenDragon]

So i just bought RIR 9 hens and a rooster from some one a few miles from me. When he was getting the chickens for me i noticed that all the hens have severe damage on there backs, neck, head, and wings. I know the damage is from mating, and i feel that the previous owner had them in a very small coop (half of a small shed) and a run that was 1.5 feet wide by 7 feet long and only 2 feet high. when i say the damage is bad i mean some of them have dollar bill sized bald spots some almost twice that size. I almost didn't take the birds they looked so bad.

I have 31 RIR, 17 pullet hens in my flock with 13 chicks strait run and a cockerel, all hatched this year. 9 of my hens are laying and my roo is not into mating yet. I have a big coop and a huge pen for the chickens.

I have the 10 chickens i got today in a separate pen from my flock (for disease control safety).

Should i separate the roster from my new hens to let them heal, or will they heal on there own now that they are in a bigger space?

Will my other hens get this much damage from mating or do i have enough space and hen to rooster ratio?

any help and suggestions thanks

 

[ChickyChickens]

So i just bought RIR 9 hens and a rooster from some one a few miles from me. When he was getting the chickens for me i noticed that all the hens have severe damage on there backs, neck, head, and wings. I know the damage is from mating, and i feel that the previous owner had them in a very small coop (half of a small shed) and a run that was 1.5 feet wide by 7 feet long and only 2 feet high. when i say the damage is bad i mean some of them have dollar bill sized bald spots some almost twice that size. I almost didn't take the birds they looked so bad.

I have 31 RIR, 17 pullet hens in my flock with 13 chicks strait run and a cockerel, all hatched this year. 9 of my hens are laying and my roo is not into mating yet. I have a big coop and a huge pen for the chickens.

I have the 10 chickens i got today in a separate pen from my flock (for disease control safety).

Should i separate the roster from my new hens to let them heal, or will they heal on there own now that they are in a bigger space?

Will my other hens get this much damage from mating or do i have enough space and hen to rooster ratio?

any help and suggestions thanks

You should probably separate them as the rooster might just hurt them more! Or you could but them some saddles!

 

[TeaChick]

So i just bought RIR 9 hens and a rooster from some one a few miles from me. When he was getting the chickens for me i noticed that all the hens have severe damage on there backs, neck, head, and wings. I know the damage is from mating, and i feel that the previous owner had them in a very small coop (half of a small shed) and a run that was 1.5 feet wide by 7 feet long and only 2 feet high. when i say the damage is bad i mean some of them have dollar bill sized bald spots some almost twice that size. I almost didn't take the birds they looked so bad.

I have 31 RIR, 17 pullet hens in my flock with 13 chicks strait run and a cockerel, all hatched this year. 9 of my hens are laying and my roo is not into mating yet. I have a big coop and a huge pen for the chickens.

I have the 10 chickens i got today in a separate pen from my flock (for disease control safety).

Should i separate the roster from my new hens to let them heal, or will they heal on there own now that they are in a bigger space?

Will my other hens get this much damage from mating or do i have enough space and hen to rooster ratio?

any help and suggestions thanks

I agree with @ChickyChickens .
My hens have gone through the same thing. I wasn't able to process my cockerels before they started mating my hens and I had a one to one ratio for a little while. The nicest girl has had a bare back for most of the summer. I couldn't put a saddle on her b/c of the heat (it's like wearing a sweater vest). Anyway, her back is looking better now that only one roo is trying to mate my 8 hens. Yours might start looking better with the 9 to 1 ratio, but they will heal faster if you remove him completely. The flip side of that coin is that being separated from his girls might cause him more stress than necessary. So, it's completely up to you and how you do things