when do chickens/roosters start mating?

[karen18]

Thanks again for all the great responses. I really love that rooster - he is so beautiful and hearring him crow every morning makes me smile. Im looking forward to hatching a couple eggs but will wait until spring. Do roosters ever try to harm the new chicks?

 

[PoultryQueen101]

Thanks again for all the great responses.  I really love that rooster - he is so beautiful and hearring him crow every morning makes me smile.  Im looking forward to hatching a couple eggs but will wait until spring. Do roosters ever try to harm the new chicks?  

If he knows a hen is his mate, he should try and protect them. Though, if you are incubating them in a bator, you might wait til they are completely feathered. Or if you haveba broody hen, sneak them under her as they hatch if she accepts them. Silkies are great mothers, they accept any babies given. A rooster may try to fight baby roosters, but he should leave pulleys alone.

Also, one question wasnt answered. I believe it takes teo weeks after mating for a hen to become fertile. I know it takes two weeks for medicine to get out of their sistem too.
Do not eat or hatch eggs from a hicken on meds! Bad for both of you.

 

[karen18]

Thank you for the info

My chickens are easter eggers - 3 female and one roster - do you know if this breed are good mothers? They are around 12 weeks old and the rooster is chasing and trying to jump on all of them. I'm glad to know that silkies are good mothers. I'm hoping to get one silkie and one maran.

 

[Strader]

I bought 4 6wk old hens that are now 12 weeks.  one has started crowing and chasing the others, it looks like a rooster.  he's beautiful and I want to keep him, but I also want to have edible eggs.  Can anyone tell me what age they start being fertile, is it okay to let them have one batch of chicks (its late summer where I live), how long do they stay fertile?  how do I prevent them from mating after that (can he be nutered?).  I've read several books on chickens but cant find the answers!

No one stuck with the subject of the initial thread. Did anyone actually say when roosters start mating?

 

[JIl1234]

Hi, Roosters start mating with the females around 5-6 months old. The eggs are definitely edible. You can keep him from
mating with the hens by separating them. Yes, you can neuter a rooster, if you can find a veterinarian who will do it. Ther
really is no reason to neuter a rooster though, especially if you want to have fertile eggs and baby chicks in the future.