Do chickens mate in Winter?

[bobbi-j]

Alright, I guess I’ll be waking until Spring again. I’m really bummed, but I guess it won’t even be possible until they mature in December or January.

You could look into getting started pullets or adult hens. Again - that does not guarantee that you will have a broody. Some never do go broody.

 

[aart]

Alright, I guess I’ll be waking until Spring again. I’m really bummed, but I guess it won’t even be possible until they mature in December or January.

You need to build your bigger coop first anyway, right?

 

[theblondeangler]

Long story short, I want to breed chickens but by the time they are mature, it will be winter. I want to try using a broody hen in Winter to raise the chicks but in order to get the fertilized eggs, they need to mate. Will they mate in Winter? Or only Spring?

My roosters are savages all day every day no matter the season.

 

[The Moonshiner]

it’s likely they will be too cold to fool around.
Roosters will be sore as well.

Lol.
From a male's perspective there's no such thing as either of these.

 

[aart]

and it’s likely they will be too cold to fool around and is very likely they will be molting.Hens will be sore and not up to the mating,roosters will be sore as well

Has nothing to do with cold or sore and everything to do with hormone flow.
A good cock will not mate hens that are not in production due to short days and/or molting.

ETA 'good'

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Did you get the new breed chicks yet that you hope will be broody inclined?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Cocks will not mate hens that are not in production due to short days and/or molting.

Mine sure will.
Also heard they won't mate pullets that haven't started laying yet. Also not true here.

 

[aart]

Has nothing to do with cold or sore and everything to do with hormone flow.
Cocks will not mate hens that are not in production due to short days and/or molting.

Mine sure will.
Also heard they won't mate pullets that haven't started laying yet. Also not true here.

I should have specified...."A good cock will not mate hens...."
Have edited my post.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Did you get the new breed chicks yet that you hope will be broody inclined?

You could look into getting started pullets or adult hens. Again - that does not guarantee that you will have a broody. Some never do go broody.

I'm getting 4-5 Black Belgian D'Anver Bantams. They are supposedly very broody, which I'm pretty happy about. I just want one rooster, otherwise, I'll just pick the nicest boy if I have more than 1.

I am considering getting started chickens, but I'm getting them from my town's feed mill, and they are breeding with the 5 they have, so it really depends on when they decide to incubate/breed/hatch the eggs.

You need to build your bigger coop first anyway, right?

Definitely. My large fowl gals are slightly too aggressive for the Bantams to be with them. But we're just getting a shed and turning it into a chicken coop, so it won't take as long as the tractor coop we have now, and plus we will be making THIS coop in the summer, where I have a lot of time. We've had 8 matured large fowl in our current coop, and I'm not going to hatch like 20 bantams! So just letting you know I'm watching the space for my flock and the future bantam flock we will make sure the new coop has plenty space.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Well I have observed my roosters and when in moly they never seem to interested,as well depending on whether is extremely cold out,maybe you guys have had different situations