Rooster people? Help?

[euphoniumism]

I rescued a rooster from getting butchered a couple weeks ago, and noticed that when he tries to mount my hens, he doesn't really do anything, he just grabs the feathers on the back of their neck and then steps on their wings. He's just stepping on them. And I'm just laughing, because he's so stupid...
Is this going to last forever? What is he even doing? Is he just stupid? So many questions.
When he actually mates with them, it doesn't really bother the hens, but when he steps all over them instead it really stresses them and they flip out. So I'm hoping he'll stop soon.

 

[cackleberrycam]

What breed is he? Some breeds have a harder time mating because of size or feathering.

 

[euphoniumism]

He's a barnyard mix. He has a partial buttercup comb but salmon faverolle coloring, so I think he's a mix between a salmon faverolle and Sicilian buttercup.

 

[azygous]

Patience! It takes a young cockerel awhile to perfect his "technique". It took my previous rooster over a year of bungling to get it down. He would look so stupid and funny, I could barely keep from falling down, I would be laughing so hard.

He was a twelve pound Brahma and he always had a terrible time with balance. He would manage to grab hold of a hen, and climb aboard, only to somersault off over the hen's head!

He finally got it figured out, and was able to do a pretty good job fertilizing eggs. I now have his son as proof he did something right. He died last summer when his chick was six weeks old.

Give your boy time. He'll come around.

 

[euphoniumism]

Now I'm laughing imagining your brahma flying over a hen.
I just never knew roosters had the awkward stage teenage boys go through where they don't know what they're doing. I never see them talking about this on the forums, and nobody tells you this when you say "So I got my first rooster."
Mine has managed to get somewhat better at the dance (the one where they drop one wing and hop near the hen), and he's learned how to get the pullets to come eat whatever food he's found. But only the pullets. The two hens (his favorites) don't care about his findings. Poor guy.

 

[azygous]

That's because it's easier to impress pullets than experienced hens. He'll have to earn their respect. When you see the hens squat willingly for this young Romeo, you'll know he's finally won them over.

Go do something else in the meantime. It may take a while.

 

[euphoniumism]

The hens used to squat for me when I came in the yard. I laughed so hard I cried.
And I'm not really watching the rooster, I've just been hanging around the yard more because I was re-introducing a pullet that I had inside while she was healing up from getting pecked so badly her skull was showing. She thinks I'm her mom so she would always run to me for protection. I guess she made friends with the other pullets last night though, because they managed to get her to go into the coop and she's been hanging out with them since then.
But yeah. I guess he'll get it eventually. Thanks for reassuring me.

 

[Peeps61]

He'll get there! Mine was a bit awkward at first, but he's the king of the domain now. In fact, when my sister was visiting, she observed him and action and said, "Wow! That's the new definition of a quickie!" LOL - I was rolling for a while after that one. I told her I thought the hens were relieved it was over that quickly.