Fertility Age

[Byrdj]

Today I saw my 16 week old cockeral mating with a hen. Is it possible that he is old enough to fertilize her eggs? I was surprised since I don't think he's started crowing yet.

 

[jhm47]

He could possibly be fertile, but they usually aren't till they start to crow. It would be interesting to find out. I know that some breeds are fertile at quite a young age, and some are nearly a year old before they are.

 

[seriousbill]

The short answer is yes, it's possible. However, it's also possible that he may not be mature enough quite yet. Sometimes, there's a delay of a few weeks after they start mating the hens, but sometimes they're capable of fertilization pretty much right away--depends on the individual bird.

 

[Byrdj]

Thanks for the answers. I was suprised to hear that he might be fertile. Maybe it's a result of hybrid vigor. His dad was a large fowl game and his mom was a RIR. He is very spunky and confident, or should I dare say "cocky".