Mating question regarding a Brahma rooster

[christwodog]

So my Light Brahma chick is now crowing and is huge! (Supposed to be a girl!)
My question is, I have 11 hens with him but they are not Brahmas. They are Barred Rocks, EE's, Blue Ameraucanas and Faverolles. None of them will be huge like a Brahma. Is there danger of them getting hurt when he tries to mate with them? They are all 4 months old. I will separate him from the flock if there is any chance one of the hens could get injured.

 

[Pyxis]

Is he a hatchery brahma? Because if so, he's not really going to be that big. I had a hatchery brahma rooster at one point, and he was not that big. He'll be fine with your hens if he's hatchery.

 

[christwodog]

Yes, Meyer Hatchery. He just is so much bigger than they are, and they're all the same age.

 

[aart]

They are all 4 months old.

At 4 months he's ready to mate and dominate (or soon will be), the girls are not and won't be for another couple months. Depending on his demeanor, he could be quite rambunctious and cause injury by grabbing the neck and trying to climb up on an unwilling participant, which is a typical scenario no matter what size the birds. So you might want to separate him until the girls are laying, or at least have a place ready to do so. Can depend on the birds themselves, and the housing. If the pullets have plenty of space to get away from his unwanted advances, it might be just fine to leave him with them.

Once the girls are laying and ready to submit, they should be fine unless his technique is terrible. That's why females squat down when mated, to help carry the weight load of the cock/erel on top of them. I've always had large cockbirds, and some smaller pullets/and hens, never had an mating injury.

 

[christwodog]

At 4 months he's ready to mate and dominate (or soon will be), the girls are not and won't be for another couple months. Depending on his demeanor, he could be quite rambunctious and cause injury by grabbing the neck and trying to climb up on an unwilling participant, which is a typical scenario no matter what size the birds. So you might want to separate him until the girls are laying, or at least have a place ready to do so. Can depend on the birds themselves, and the housing. If the pullets have plenty of space to get away from his unwanted advances, it might be just fine to leave him with them.

Once the girls are laying and ready to submit, they should be fine unless his technique is terrible. That's why females squat down when mated, to help carry the weight load of the cock/erel on top of them. I've always had large cockbirds, and some smaller pullets/and hens, never had an mating injury.

I'll keep an eye on him - he hasn't indicated that mating is on his mind yet, but that could change any day now. They have a 12x12 enclosure, 6 feet high, with lots of roost areas and I do let them out whenever I'm home. So I think the girls have space to escape his advances, should it come to that! But I have a portable pen that I've used for separating a bully, etc. I can set that up in a few minutes if need be, to keep him separate until I figure out what to do. We ended up making a "bachelor pad" for my other accidental rooster, Kono. He just got too aggressive with the girls, and then with people. So he has his own pen, next to everyone. Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

 

[Folly's place]

If he's polite, it will be fine. Plenty of space for everyone, and mine tend to get into mating when the coop/ run door is opened in the morning. The ladies can then run away if they want to. Cockerels will get too enthusiastic, but I don't feel that injuries are acceptable, so if there are issues that way, that boy needs to be gone, IMO.
Mary

 

[aart]

I'll keep an eye on him - he hasn't indicated that mating is on his mind yet, but that could change any day now. They have a 12x12 enclosure, 6 feet high, with lots of roost areas and I do let them out whenever I'm home. So I think the girls have space to escape his advances, should it come to that! But I have a portable pen that I've used for separating a bully, etc. I can set that up in a few minutes if need be, to keep him separate until I figure out what to do. We ended up making a "bachelor pad" for my other accidental rooster, Kono. He just got too aggressive with the girls, and then with people. So he has his own pen, next to everyone. Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

Sounds good, at least you know the signs having been thru it before.
Brahma can tend to mature a bit slower than many other breeds.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would put the young rooster in with the old rooster, untill the pullets are laying.

 

[christwodog]

I would put the young rooster in with the old rooster, untill the pullets are laying.

Won't they fight?

 

[Chickassan]

Probably not, young rooster isn't a threat or competetion yet so it should be fine. You might have a "squabble" or "nice to mount you" but not a fight.

Won't they fight?