Cockarels/pullets mature sexually the same time? See below

[armedtodream]

Hi, I asked this yesterday or the day before & didn't get any replies so I think maybe I can ask it in a better way . I have 12 9 week old chicks. I think I have a couple cockarels in there, maybe a few, but waiting to see. My question is, do they all mature sexually at the same rate, like will the roo-to-be's be able to fertilize when the hen-to-be's start laying eggs?

My second flock management question is, if I had seperate coops for each roo, what is the minimum amount of girls each roo need for his & the hens sanity? And should we only have one roo, how many could he actively be fertilizing?

Thanks so much in advance. I am pretty new to this & trying to plan ahead for our needs so I can be the best steward of what I've been given.

 

[donrae]

In my experience the cockerals seem to mature slightly ahead of the hens. I've seen them wanting to mate before the pullets lay, but is's also usually a good indicator you're going to get eggs soon. When the girls start laying, the cockeral should be fertilizing the eggs. The fertility might not be great at first, due to poor technique when mating and the pullets' bodies learning how to correctly make the eggs. Fertility should be maximized a few months after they start laying.

General rule of thumb is one roo to ten hens. That keeps the hens from being mated bald but also keeps fertility high. As stated, that is a general rule. Many folks here can give examples of higher or lower ratios that work just perfectly in the given situation.