Can a 12 week old rooster fetilize eggs? i see him mating.

[XseankellyX]

Hi everyone!
I have got a new incubator and was going to buy some eggs off a friend but then i had a thought,
my rooster has been gettin' busy lately with the pullets (who are much older but still laying) the females are totally submissive
and the male holds on to her neck feathers and mounts.
My question is can he actually produce the sperm to fertilize the egg?

 

[sourland]

Do a forum search on 'bullseye fertility' some threads will come up showing fertile eggs. My guess is that if he is making contact, the eggs will be fertile.

 

[sepaditty1]

Break a couple open & look for the bullseye. Don't be fooled by the "donut" shape. Somewhere on this forum there are great pictures of fertile vs unfertile eggs.

My little guy was fertilizing as soon as he started "romancing" the girls.

 

[speckledhen]

I do not believe a 12 week old rooster can fertilize eggs. Fertility does not begin until around 16-18 weeks of age for the males in my experience. I'd say no way. Mating behavior does not mean fertility. I've seen 5 to 10 week old cockerels do a great imitation of proper mating behavior, but no way they could fertilize a hen.

 

[XseankellyX]

I do not believe a 12 week old rooster can fertilize eggs. Fertility does not begin until around 16-18 weeks of age for the males in my experience. I'd say no way. Mating behavior does not mean fertility. I've seen 5 to 10 week old cockerels do a great imitation of proper mating behavior, but no way they could fertilize a hen.

sorry but you seam to be incorrect, i have 10 eggs in my incubator on day 17 and they are fertile and going to hatch soon

 

[speckledhen]

Then you were incorrect about his age- that rooster was older than 12 weeks. Roosters do not become fertile at 12 weeks of age. Or there is another rooster fertilizing the hens somehow. They are not capable at 12 weeks.

 

[LTygress]

It depends on the breed and type. Bantams tend to develop faster than large fowl. And a common leghorn would be ready to go faster than a rare phoenix.

I've got one egg in that predicament now from a bantam frizzle who is about 14 weeks old, and a bantam hen who is over a year old. And I am VERY certain on rooster age, because I hatched him myself. Yet the egg is very fertile, and due next week.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Then you were incorrect about his age- that rooster was older than 12 weeks. Roosters do not become fertile at 12 weeks of age. Or there is another rooster fertilizing the hens somehow. They are not capable at 12 weeks.

I have two Augsburger roos who are fertile at twelve weeks. In fact, I first started getting fertile eggs two week ago. My boys are BARELY twelve weeks old now but they have shown to be great flock protectors and watch after the young girls that they have grown up with. I'm just glad I have the older hens for them to mate with so they wouldn't have to bother the younger ones.