breeding age for pullets

[reflections]

At what age can pullets be put with a rooster? I have 14 week old pullets and cockerels and one roo is breeding already. Is this ok for the pullets?
Bantam cochins
(I put this question under Raising Chicks but maybe it should be here)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Pullets grow up with the flock with several male siblings for a lot of us. Many also have adult males with them. It’s normal and natural. What I think you have is a group of chicks that you got this spring that are now 14 weeks old and that these are your first chickens. I think your question is will the pullets be hurt by the cockerels mating them now.

What you are probably seeing is extremely typical. The cockerels are hitting puberty. The hormones are starting to run wild. The pullets mature a little later so they are not sure what is going on and don’t want to cooperate. It can get pretty hectic.

The hormones are not so much telling the cockerels they need to make the eggs fertile as they are telling them to dominate the flock. The mating act is not just about fertilizing eggs, it’s also about dominance. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force.

In a flock the rooster needs to dominate the hens so he can do his jobs. He needs to keep eggs fertile of course, but he also needs to keep peace in his flock, protect them from danger, and just take care of his flock. How can he break up fights if the fighters turn around and beat the crap out of him? What good does it do to warn of danger if no one will listen to him or go where he tells them? How can he find them a good place for a nest if they don’t accept his judgment? What you are seeing is a cockerels attempts to establish that domination and, if you have more than one cockerel, probably sort out his harem.

Will the pullets be harmed? That depends on a few things. How much room do they have? Have you got them shoehorned into the tiniest space you can manage or do they have room to run away and get away if they want to?

How many cockerels and pullets do you have? There are different ratios running around this forum that some people religiously believe solve all problems but they don’t. That 10 to 1 or 15 to 1 for bantams is only about fertility in a specific situation, pen breeding that many hatcheries use, and really doesn’t apply to this. I always suggest you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals but many of us keep more males than that 10 to 1 would suggest and don’t really have any problems. Still, more cockerels and fewer pullets leads to more stress at this time, especially if room is restricted.

A lot depends on the personality of the individual chickens, males and females. The hormones are in control of the cockerels (or soon will be) but some are much more aggressive than others. Your one has simply matured a little earlier than the other males and will likely be larger than the others and will probably wind up being one of the more dominant ones. Some of the others may not mature to that point for another two months and if he maintains his dominance, they may never show that behavior. Some pullets will willingly submit even long before they are ready to lay, but most will resist him until they mature enough to accept what is going on. The pullets just aren’t as mature and they are not yet willing to allow him to dominate them. Their hormones have not yet told them that they need to submit to a dominant rooster for the good of the flock.

Is it possible a pullet could be hurt in this process? If course, they are living animals. These things don’t come with guarantees. Usually these things sort themselves out when the chickens mature but getting to that point can be rough for you to watch. Usually pullets do not get hurt in this process. If pullets were normally hurt in this process chickens would be extinct. If you have plenty of space for them and the ratio of cockerel to pullet isn’t outrageous it normally works out, but the tighter your space is and the worse that ratio the more likely you are to have a problem.

These teenage years are hard for some people to watch. It can seem so vicious and downright brutal to a lot of people. But his is the normal process chickens go through to grow up and become mature members of a flock. Again I’ll say that space is very important. If they are in a tight space getting rid of some cockerels now may be a wise move.

Good luck!

 

[reflections]

Thank you Ridgerunner for your indepth answer. It was exactly what I was looking for and confirmed my 'gut' feelings. Basicaly the chickens follow much the same maturing pattern as free ranging horses so I will adjust living conditions accordingly.
Henny Penny doesn't need to be harrassed at this age and she and I thank you.