He will do it every chance he gets! 1 cockerel and 5 ladies might have some wear and tear to the feathers from being mounted. My dozen ladies barely spreads the love enough for my rooster. He has two that he’s wearing feathers on.
Oh yes, he will mate every chance he gets throughout the day. It's okay. He'll do a little dance around the chosen hen and make lovey-noises, and if she's agreeable, she'll squat down for him. If she's not, she'll trot away from him, he'll turn his attention to someone else, and do another dance. It's quite funny to watch our amorous roos first thing in the morning. I guess that's one ... hmmm.... male tendency (morning um.. urges?)... that crosses the animal/human kingdom. LOL! He will likely have some favorite ladies, and his mounting habits will wear the feathers from her back. There are "chicken saddles" you can buy or sew yourself that can help protect the girls' backs, if you are so inclined. I only worry a bit about it in winter, as some of the girls don't have as thick a coat of feathers as others. But then, if the weather's THAT awful cold, I usually keep them locked inside anyway. We have 39 hens and 2 roosters, and even that ratio doesn't help. There are 5 or 6 with consistently naked backs. Others look like they're untouched. Go figure. Oh, and I know they are both making the rounds of all the ladies --- last batch of eggs I incubated, 12 picked at random from that day's laying, of those 12 only one wasn't fertilized. All 11 others hatched and are in my basement brooder right now.
Yes hoping to get some more hens next year! Once we expand our run and coop for them. Thank you!
