When can a rooster breed

[peafowl_Lover]

Hi I have 3 month old roos, 1 has been trying to jump on the pullets who are not laying yet. When will he be able to breed my older hens? The older hens don't like him at the moment

 

[Perris]

it sounds like they are in the teenager aka jerk phase, hormones exploding into action. The older hens will educate him in chicken etiquette if you just let them get on with it.

As boys in puberty are capable of fathering children, so are young roos. Obviously pullets who are not laying yet are incapable of it. The older hens will decide for themselves whether they want to be bred by him; even if he ambushes them and a cloacal kiss (chicken equivalent of penetration in mammals) takes place, the hen can eject unwanted sperm.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Hi I have 3 month old roos, 1 has been trying to jump on the pullets who are not laying yet. When will he be able to breed my older hens? The older hens don't like him at the moment

I’ve had rooster ready to breed at 4 months, he was a bantam though and they tend to mature a little fast than standards

 

[peafowl_Lover]

Thanks, when can I start feeding them layers pellets? They were born August 22

 

[Perris]

Roos do better on other feeds, indeed, I would say they would all do better on other feeds. But your question makes me wonder, what are you currently feeding your 'older hens', and how old are they exactly? I assumed before that they were at least 1 year old.

 

[peafowl_Lover]

They are 3-4 years old but the pullets and roos are 3 months. My older hens are on a mix of layers pellets and rolled barley

 

[Perris]

So the normal thing to do would be to move the pullets onto the layers pellets once they start laying. But you could just continue with whatever you're giving them at the moment plus a separate dish of oyster shell on the side for those that want and need more calcium to help themselves to as much as they want when they want it. That would be better for the males, and for any females not in lay for whatever reason at whatever time.

 

[peafowl_Lover]

OK I will do that. I put my most mature rooster in with the adult hens and he's making strange noises for them and getting big and fluffy. They are all still wary though. My peahen chases him away from the hens!

 

[peafowl_Lover]

So when can I have my younger birds who are on growers pellets sleep with my adults who are on layers?

 

[Perris]

I'm not really suited to advise on that, as I don't use pellets at all and all chicks here are raised by broodies within the flock, and eat what their broodies tell them to. Should you be interested, this is how I feed a mixed flock
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/