Cockerel Advice Needed

[TurtlePowerTrav]

My 18 1/2 week old cockerel is being a little rough on my girls I think. He keeps grabbing them and trying to mate with them but they want nothing to do with it as they are only 14.5 and 12.5 weeks of age and are not sexually mature. Should I maybe seperate him at night/day when they are cooped up and let him interact with them when I let them out for a few hours each evening or should I just let nature do its thing. I am trying to keep the girls as stress free as possible in hopes of early layers. They have been together for 2.5 weeks now and the pecking order has pretty much been established in first couple of day. He is good with them for most part, just if one comes close enough and isnt paying attention then he tries to mate. Suggestions please

 

[galanie]

You don't say how many pullets you have but it doesn't sound bad. He's hormonal, as you know, and they will be really pesky to the girls but he doesn't sound like he's really doing any damage or stressing them much. But, in my experience, it does cause a slow down in egg production. So if you want them to lay it might be good to separate them just in case. I'm sure others will disagree because of their experiences but there ya go.

 

[devora]

Your six girls will lay perfectly well wo/ him around. Do you need a roo?

Failing coq au vin, I would consider separating him. He's very young and you might not have enough ladies to keep him busy wo/ causing the pullets stress.

ETA: question

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

You don't say how many pullets you have but it doesn't sound bad. He's hormonal, as you know, and they will be really pesky to the girls but he doesn't sound like he's really doing any damage or stressing them much. But, in my experience, it does cause a slow down in egg production. So if you want them to lay it might be good to separate them just in case. I'm sure others will disagree because of their experiences but there ya go.

I have 6 girls, 2 are 12.5 weeks and other 4 are 14.5 weeks

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Your six girls will lay perfectly well wo/ him around. Do you need a roo?

Failing coq au vin, I would consider separating him. He's very young and you might not have enough ladies to keep him busy wo/ causing the pullets stress.

ETA: question

I need a roo. My Australian Sheppard is going blind with cataracts and loosing his hearing. I have coyotes, coons and foxes in area so I need a protector/alerter. I did my research to find a gentle breed and decided on Orpington, he is a Splash. He does good when they are out for a few hours each evening free ranging. He just catches them easier in the coop/pen. It is nice size, 18'x12' and there are places in it he cannot jump/fly to that the girls can. He tends to try and grab them when they are fly hunting.

 

[outdoorsii]

Yea I'm dreading it when our cockeral Pinky starts the whole mating thing....lol....if he tried to mate one of our RIR or Dominique or leghorn they'd kick his butt right now since he's barely almost 4 months...plus he's a late bloomer, his brothers were crowing at 8wks, @ that point we still thought he was a hen! lol, I don't want to have to make our hens wear stupid lil aprons LOL or saddles or whatever you call 'em. So I hope he doesn't go TOO hormonal...we're trying to handle him & our other new hens as much as possible, I think this weekend since they'll be 16 wks, my dad & brother are gonna SOMEHOW pick up their pen where it is now beneath my parents & brother's window outside over to our fullgrown chicken run & place it inside (somehow) lol, it'll be interesting to see how that goes.....

 

[galanie]

I have one now that I have no idea what breed it is, it's 17 weeks and still never crowed and doesn't know it's a boy. I've never handled it but he seems nice enough, just avoids me. But he's gonna be a big guy. We'll see how he is when the hormones finally start to kick in. Talk about a late bloomer! Never a crow or anything. And the only boy here.

 

[outdoorsii]

I have one now that I have no idea what breed it is, it's 17 weeks and still never crowed and doesn't know it's a boy. I've never handled it but he seems nice enough, just avoids me. But he's gonna be a big guy. We'll see how he is when the hormones finally start to kick in. Talk about a late bloomer! Never a crow or anything. And the only boy here.

OO gimme a pic of him!

 

[galanie]

I'll try but since he doesn't drink beer it'll be a challenge
(reference to another thread - What else can my chickens drink)

 

[outdoorsii]

I'll try but since he doesn't drink beer it'll be a challenge

(reference to another thread - What else can my chickens drink)

HAHA